Office of Victim Services
The Connecticut Judicial Branch Office of Victim Services is the only state agency that can connect with victims throughout the entire criminal justice process. It works in a number of ways to provide support to victims from the day of the crime until resolution.
- Providing advocacy for victims in court
- Payment of compensation to crime victims for expenses related to medical and mental healthcare, lost wages, funeral and burial expenses, and loss of support
- A majority of the Victim Compensation Program's funding is disbursed to co-victims of homicide. While homicide survivors were 28% of victims compensated by OVS from October 2015 to September 2017, they received 47% of total funds disbursed.
- Operating a helpline for victims
- Victim notification through the Connecticut Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification System
- Public outreach and training criminal justice professionals
- Sexual assault forensic examination services
- Overseeing grants for nonprofit victim agencies, including Survivors of Homicide, Inc.
- $134 million has been distributed to nonprofits through OVS since July 2017
OVS receives federal funding primarily through the Victims of Crime Act, and additionally is funded by the State of Connecticut to support its programs. In its forty years of service, OVS has supported approximately 155,000 victims by advocacy through the criminal justice process, and has awarded compensation to victims totaling $84 million.
Victim Services Advocates
OVS manages a number of victim services advocates working in Connecticut courthouses, to assist personal injury victims and their families, survivors of homicide, and those who need help filing a civil protection order. These advocates support victims through the judicial process in several ways.
- Explaining the criminal justice process
- Providing information about victim rights
- Giving updates about the criminal case
- Going to court sessions and hearings with victims and advocating their rights
- Assisting in writing and reading a victim impact statement
- Helping with requests for restitution and victim compensation
- Referring victims to community agencies
Contact information for court-based victim services advocates by judicial district can be found here.
Contact
For information on the criminal justice process, victim notification, victim rights, and referrals to community and state agencies, you can contact Helpline Staff at the Office of Victim Services
Monday - Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Phone: 1 (800) 822-8428
Email: OVS@jud.ct.gov