The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the Connecticut Judicial Branch’s Office of Victim Services (OVS) more than $1 million in grant money through funding under the Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act.

Of the total $1,017,841 received, $285,841 will go toward reimbursing victims for expenses incurred as a result of violent crime – for example, medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs, and lost wages or loss of support. This money will be administered through the Office of Victim Services’ compensation unit.

The remaining $732,000 will be used to support non-profit agencies that contract with OVS and serve crime victims, such as the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and its 18 member programs. States receiving the money are required under the grant to give priority to programs serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse; these types of programs provide services that include crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, criminal justice advocacy and emergency transportation. Additional funds must be set aside for underserved victims, such as survivors of homicide victims and victims of drunken drivers. The OVS will administer the allocation of this money as well.

“Given the current financial crisis in Connecticut, the Judicial Branch is extremely pleased to receive this money from the federal government,” Chief Court Administrator Barbara M. Quinn said. “And the best part is that the money will benefit crime victims in Connecticut, either by assisting them with expenses or by enhancing the programs that are available to them.”

“The needs of crime victims do not cease in poor economic times,” OVS Director Linda J. Cimino said. “The federal funding will boost the OVS’ compensation program’s ability to reimburse victims of crime more quickly, as well as provide our non-profit partners with an economic boost at a time when state, local, and private funding is diminishing and the needs of crime victims are increasing.”

For further information, please contact Rhonda Stearley-Hebert, manager of communications, at 860-757-2270.