The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP) and the Maryland State Board of Victim Services announced awards to more than two dozen state organizations that provide services to victims of crime. These funds, totaling $1,199,200, are first year and “continuation” grants: each award recipient is receiving a first, second or third year of funding to support its program. The recipients serve Marylanders in communities from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore.
“This investment provides Marylanders who are victims of crime with the services and resources they need,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. “Although we’ve driven down violent crime to the lowest levels in nearly four decades, thousands of families throughout our state are still affected, and we will not rest until every Marylander is safe in their home and in their community.”
The grants are awarded under the Maryland Victims of Crime (MVOC) Fund. MVOC supports programs that serve victims of crime in Maryland. Each project addresses a wide variety of problems, among them: funding for forensic evidence collection services for sexual assault victims; assisting victims as they obtain peace and protective orders; providing crime victims with legal counsel in the criminal justice system; linking mental health professionals with available services; training to local and state criminal justice agencies and non-profits; and supporting lethality assessment programs in cases of domestic violence. These projects all address the needs of the underserved crime victim and witness population, including assistance for Spanish speaking victims.
The MVOC Fund was created by the Maryland General Assembly during the 1991 Legislative Session and is administered under the Maryland State Board of Victims’ Services, under the authority of GOCCP. The Board’s purpose is to develop a comprehensive and coordinated system of victim services throughout the criminal justice process. Its mission is to ensure that all crime victims in the State of Maryland are treated with dignity and compassion through comprehensive victim services, support and programs.
In addition to the awards under the MVOC program, grants of $75,000 each from the Legal Services for Crime Victims (LSCV) fund have been given to two statewide organizations. The funds will help provide legal representation for Maryland crime victims in
the criminal court system. The two groups are the Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) and the program, Legal Representation for All Maryland Victims of All Crime Types, administered by the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center.