Crapo, Risch, Grassley, Ernst Lead Effort to Safeguard Federal Support for Crime Victims

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), are conducting congressional oversight to ensure the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains adequate funding to compensate crime victims.  Recent DOJ data reveals the agency has redirected money intended for the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which is already running a historically low balance. 

“Congress has acted time and again to ensure that the CVF has adequate funding streams; yet, the Justice Department apparently hasn’t done the work necessary to ensure funds that should be deposited in the CVF are, in fact, deposited. Simply put, this is absolutely unacceptable,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. 

“The Justice Department’s lack of oversight and responsibility to ensure criminal fines and penalties from criminal [deferred prosecution agreements], [non-prosecution agreements], guilty pleas, and convictions are deposited into the CVF as required by statute has created a lack of resources to fund victim assistance and compensation programs around the country.  The decreasing CVF balance and deposits [have] put service providers across the country at significant risk of having to cut both programs and staff that support victims and survivors of crime,” the Senators continued. 

Congress, as part of the 1984 Victims of Crimes Act, established the CVF to provide states grants to cover the cost of victim recovery resources, including counseling services, legal assistance, funeral expenses and more.  The CVF is a taxpayer-neutral fund; its balance is comprised of fines and penalties collected through federal criminal convictions, deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements and settlements.  

Read the full letter HERE.