WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help victims of crime get counseling, shelter, and other emergency services, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is awarding the Rhode Island Justice Commission $1,726,000 in federal funding through the Crime Victims Fund's Victim Assistance program.

"The Crime Victims fund has helped community organizations throughout Rhode Island to provide victims with important services in their time of need," stated Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Subcommittee. "These federal dollars with go a long way toward ensuring that victims of crime and their families have the resources they need to recover."

The Victim Assistance program provides funding to states to support community-based organizations that serve crime victims, including domestic violence shelters; rape crisis centers; child abuse programs; and victims service units in law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, hospitals, and social service agencies. The funds help these groups provide services such as crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, criminal justice advocacy, and emergency transportation.

Under the program, states are required to give priority to programs serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. Additional funds are set aside for underserved victims such as survivors of homicide victims and victims of drunk driving. The fund, authorized by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, is financed through fines paid by federal criminal offenders.

"People who break the law should help compensate their victims," said Reed. "This program has been successful at compensating millions of victims at no cost to taxpayers."

Reed has been a consistent supporter of VOCA and the Crime Victims Fund. In April, he joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee's CJS Subcommittee requesting that it retain all deposits from crime offenders into the Crime Victims Fund. The Bush Administration has sought over the last three years to rescind this money so it can be used in the General Treasury. Reed also requested that the cap on VOCA funding be increased from $625 million to $1 billion.