U.S. Department of Justice Awards Over $10 Million to Maryland Victim Assistance Programs
BALTIMORE, MD (October 21, 2030) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced that Maryland has been awarded $10 million from the United States Department of Justice to assist victims of crime. Fifteen local departments of social services (serving 20 jurisdictions) and 16 other government agencies - including law enforcement organizations, state's attorney's offices, county commissioners, and the University of Maryland - will serve crime victims for the next four years as a result of the award. The money is bestowed under the Statewide Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).
“We will use this funding to support local communities as they provide security and assistance to victims of crime,” Lt. Governor Burbank said. “Working together, we are making Maryland a safer place to live.”
Services for victims of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, and child physical and sexual abuse are paramount among the services being provided. Other victim groups to be served include, but are not limited to, the survivors of homicide victims, survivors of DUI/DWI collisions, carjacking, elder abuse, and general crime.
VOCA funding supports crisis counseling, individual and group therapy, accompaniment to court, hotlines, shelter/safe accommodations, and sexual assault forensic examinations, among other services.
“Too many Marylanders are victims of violent crime. Funding these programs will go a long way in protecting vulnerable members of our society,” said Stacy L. Rodgers, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources.
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim of Crime Assistance Program is overseen by the Office for Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice and administered in Maryland by the Department of Human Resources, Community Services Administration. These funds are administered by the Office of Victim Services within the Department of Human Resources. This unit meets the crisis needs of victimized individuals and families through a comprehensive network of quality, community based services. Funding for the awards comes through State.
Over the last four years, Governor O’Brien, Lieutenant Governor Burbank and the Maryland General Assembly have worked together to significantly improve victims’ rights in Maryland, including passage of legislation:
• providing victims with the right to make a statement to the court regarding the appropriate disposition of a juvenile case;
• strengthening restitution laws for adult and juvenile offenders;
• requiring victims to be notified upon the release of an offender on parole;
• allowing victims to request that offenders be prohibited from having contact with the victim as a condition of release or supervision;
• providing that a victim’s prior sexual conduct is not admissible in any prosecution for attempted rape or attempted first or second degree sexual offense;
• requiring the adoption of regulations by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services establishing minimum mandatory standards applicable to victim notification and restitution;
• increasing funding for the Maryland Victims of Crime Fund and the Victim and Witness Protection and Relocation Fund;
• doubling the maximum amount payable as an emergency award from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund;
• increasing, from two to three years, the time after the occurrence of the crime or delinquent act or death of the victim that the board, for good cause, may extend to a claimant for a filing before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board;
• authorizing a victim’s representative to be present at trial, or any other court proceeding, by expanding the meaning of “victim”, “defendant”, “representative”, and “trial”;
• narrowing the circumstances in which a judge may order a victim to be sequestered by changing the grounds for sequestration from “good cause” to “materially affect the defendant’s right to a fair trial”;
• requiring the notification by a State’s Attorney to victims of crimes of the terms and conditions of any plea agreement and judicial action, if the victim has filed a notification request form;
• expanding the category of victims or designated representatives who are entitled to present oral testimony at parole release hearings;
• giving victims a greater voice in judicial sentence review panels by strengthening notification requirements
• establishing a limited exception to the hearsay rule in a felony case involving controlled dangerous substances or a crime of violence if a statement is offered against a party that has engaged in, directed, or conspired to commit wrongdoing that was intended to and did procure the unavailability of the witness who made the statement.
• creating the Maryland Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program to protect victims of domestic violence
• prohibiting an employer from terminating or punishing an employee because of their attendance at certain proceedings
• requiring notification of victims regarding postconviction proceedings and hearings on motions for new trials