DC Crime Victim Assistance Academy Will Help Educate Professionals About Victims' Rights, Needs

Contact (Media Only): Vince Morris (202) 727-5011; Sharon Gang (202) 727-5011                                                                                              
(Washington, DC)  Mayor Anthony A. Williams announced today that the US Department of Justice has awarded the District’s Office of Victim Services (OVS) within the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ) a three-year, nearly $195,000 grant to develop a District Crime Victim Assistance Academy. Twenty-five states—but no cities except for Washington, DC—have received awards to develop State Victim Assistance Academies.

The District Crime Victim Assistance Academy will be a five-day, university-level program that is a blend of education and training developed by and for District professionals from the fields of victim services, academia, law enforcement and the criminal and juvenile justice systems to educate participants about the rights, needs and concerns of homicide, robbery, sexual assault and other victims.

“This award is an honor for the city, but more importantly, it is an important development for people who are victims of crimes,” said Mayor Williams. “The District’s complex multi-jurisdictional system of justice that includes federal, city, military and juvenile entities that come with different attorneys, different courts and different protocols that are hard to navigate without focused training. Working knowledge of the different justice systems in the District will be beneficial to everyone who attends. I am pleased that with this grant, the Justice Department is treating the District of Columbia like a state instead of a city.”  

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