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For the second straight year, money distributed to the states from the Justice Department's Crime Victims Fund will decline.
As part of the recently passed omnibus-spending bill, Congress capped payouts from the fund at $590 million. That's $35 million less than was spent the year before.
According to a recent article in the Baltimore Sun by Josh Mitchell, Maryland is expected to receive slightly more than $6 million for victim-assistance programs in the 12-month period that began in October, a drop of 17 percent from a peak of nearly $7.4 million two years prior.
In Maryland, the money goes to more than 100 nonprofits and state and local government agencies that work with crime victims, providing legal advice and shelter.
"Whereas a program might be able to serve 100 people, they may now be able to serve 70 people or 80 people" when the cutbacks are felt, Rakhsha Hakimzadeh, director of the Office of Victim Services in the state Department of Human Resources, told the Sun.
Established as part of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, the federal fund is drawn from fees and fines paid by those convicted of federal crimes.
In addition to victim assistance, the money pays for such things as staff at U.S. attorney's offices, programs under the Children's Justice Act and programs that compensate victims for expenses resulting from crimes. No taxpayer dollars go into the victim's assistance fund, which stands at about $1.7 billion, said Rep. Ted Poe, a Texas Republican.
Congress limited the crime victims assistance funds as part of an effort to reduce overall federal spending and show fiscal discipline. But Poe says the move was fruitless because there are no taxpayer savings.
"It's unfortunate, because it's not the government's money," Poe said. "The money belongs to victims, because criminals pay into the fund." Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        
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