OVS Website Update

The Office of Victims’ Services has recently updated their Victim Services portion of the PCCD Website to create a more user-friendly experience. The website update provides information on Act 77, an addendum passed in July 2022 to the Crime Victims’ Act, surrounding legal standing for crime victims and law enforcement victim rights notifications. Additions to the website also include detailed information on different funding streams, a comprehensive list of statewide and federal resources for victim services providers, and up to date information on compliance and monitoring procedures. 

Please click the PCCD OVS Website link to check out the updates.

To utilize our newest Victim Rights Brochure, click here or on our website under 'Victim Rights' tab.

RASA/VOJO Excel Tracker Video Tutorial

The 2023-2024 RASA/VOJO Funding Announcement outlines various performance measures that Sub-grantees must maintain as prescribed by PCCD and/or federal and state guidelines. A complete list of required data points can be found on Pages 13-16 of the 2023-2024 RASA/VOJO Funding Announcement.

Similar with past funding cycles, PCCD has an excel spreadsheet available for grantees to track outcomes. The use of this tool for all Sub-grantees continues to be voluntary.   

PCCD has recently created a video tutorial providing information on the RASA/VOJO Excel spreadsheet tracking tool. The video tutorial provides a walkthrough with step by step instructions on how to properly use the spreadsheet. The video has been uploaded to the PCCD YouTube channel and can be found here.

The tracking tool was created by PCCD to assist victim service providers with tracking their clients, services, and data outcomes. If you are not currently using the spreadsheet but would like to utilize it, we encourage transitioning to your use at the start of a new reporting period such as July 1^st or October 1^st. 

The PCCD RASA/VOJO tracking tool can be accessed by clicking the link.

Additional video resources and tutorials for applicants and grantees can be found by accessing the PCCD YouTube channel.

Effect Of A Gun Safety Video On Children's Behavior Around Real Guns

Watching a one-minute video on firearm safety can lower the risk that children will touch a gun that they find.

Please click here to read.

World Day Against Trafficking In Persons

Join OVC as we commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30. On this day we recommit ourselves to “work towards an enhanced comprehensive and coordinated approach to prevent and combat trafficking and to protect and assist victims of trafficking in persons…”



Learn about OVC efforts to ensure that victims of human trafficking have access to services.

Realizing The Promise Of Crime Victim Compensation

Crime victim compensation should do more than just aid individuals who need to be made whole after suffering losses in a crime — it's also a potential key component in effective community violence prevention strategies. That's the argument made in a recent brief from the Marron Institute of Urban Management at New York University.

Please click here to read.

Building Our Reach

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)’s WomensLaw project and Esperanza United are partnering on the Reimagining Enhanced Access and Capacity of the Hotline (REACH) Project. Together, we are enhancing and expanding the capacity of the WomensLaw Email Hotline, which provides free, confidential legal information and support in both English and Spanish for victims and survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; their advocates; and their loved ones.

Please click here to read.

Managing Distress Grounding Tips

When you witness or hear about a mass violence incident, you may experience intense and distressing feelings that can come in waves or are felt as a persistent ache. While it may seem impossible at first, grounding and mindfulness are distress tolerance techniques that make it possible to witness a mass violence incident, experience strong emotions, effectively cope with the discomfort, and feel safe at the same time.

Please click here to read.

Why We Need to Take Sexual Assault Towards Disabled Men Seriously

When it is hard enough for society to even consider disabled people sexual, then it is no surprise that they are not taken seriously when it comes to sexual assault. However, disabled men and women are twice as likely as non-disabled people to be victims of sexual assault, and more so for non-binary and transgender survivors. 

Please click here to read.

What Explains Different Department Of Justice Death Penalty Decisions

In two different mass shootings, each killing more than 10 people based on racist reasons, the Department of Justice authorized the death penalty for only one of the cases: the killings at a Pittsburgh synagogue. How the Department of Justice made different penalty decisions in the Pittsburgh synagogue and Texas mall massacres is discussed in a recent Associated Press article.

Please click here to read.

Parallel Justice

Coming from the National Center for Victims of Crime, Parallel Justice is a trauma informed and survivor centered podcast that investigates civil justice sought for criminal acts. Dive into the realities of our criminal justice system alongside expert attorneys who took on the cases that dominated the headlines and changed our society. This is not your typical True Crime show. Parallel Justice is an honest, empowering investigation into how the Justice system actually works, where it fails, and how survivors can seek accountability. 

Please click here to read.

Violent Victimization By Race Or Hispanic Origin, 2008 - 2021

This Just the Stats report provides violent victimization rates and numbers by race or Hispanic origin, during the 5-year aggregate period of 2017 to 2021. In addition, the web report features an interactive graphic that displays violent victimization data from 2008 to 2021 by race or Hispanic origin. 

Please click here to read.

PCAR/NSVRC Reveal New Name

Tuesday August 15, 2023 at 2:00 pm

In this brief, virtual webinar, we will celebrate the culmination of our inclusive rebranding process that engaged the voices and insights of many of our state and national partners.

Please click here to register.

The Road To Recovery For Mass Violence Survivors & Communities

PLEASE JOIN THE

Seventh Virtual National Town Hall

Sponsored by the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center

The Road to Recovery for Mass Violence Survivors & Communities

#KnowBeforeYouNeedTo

Thursday, August 24, 2023

3:00 pm to 4:30 P.M. EDT

Join the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center (NMVRC) for a timely discussion on The Road to Recovery for Mass Violence Survivors & Communities.

At the conclusion of the National Town Hall, participants will be able to:

• Identify long-term trauma and trauma cues affecting mass violence survivors and how to mitigate them.
• Identify long-term trauma affecting mass violence impacted communities and how to mitigate it.
• Describe effective strategies for individual and community needs assessments during the longer-term recovery phase of a mass violence incident.
• Identify best practices for annual commemorations and permanent memorials.
• Describe unexpected challenges that may arise in the long-term aftermath of a mass violence incident, and strategies to address them.
• Describe the most important skills and strategies needed for professionals for the road to recovery. 

Please click here to register.

Safety And Social Media

Using the internet and social media can be a great way to connect with friends and family, provide a platform for learning and explore our world from anywhere. How do you do it safely and teach those you care for to do so as well? Together we will create a space to answer your questions on how people can safely navigate our ever-expanding virtual world safely and begin the discussion about how to respond if that space becomes unsafe.

August 31, 2023

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Those who attend will: 

• Build awareness of overall internet safety and how use the internet safely and responsibly;
• Learn how promote internet safety using a team model with their family; and
• Identify ways of responding to cyberbullying, digital abuse, and other unsafe situations that may arise on social media or the internet.

Please click here to register.

Pornography & Trafficking: Unpacking the Symbiosis

September 6, 2023, 11:30 – 1:30 

While sex trafficking and porn have both been defined as forms of sexual violence, rooted in a system of gender inequality, what is often overlooked is the way these two industries are culturally and economically linked. By unpacking this symbiotic relationship between porn and trafficking, we can develop a more nuanced theory and practice to abolish all forms of sexual violence.

Please click here to register.

Collaborative Responses To Domestic Violence In Rural Communities

The Institute for Coordinated Community Response is holding a conference on October 2 & 3 entitled Collaborative Responses to Domestic Violence in Rural Communities. Coordinated Community Responses (CCRs) have been recognized as a best practice in reducing domestic violence since the Violence Against Women Act was enacted over 20 years ago. CCRs can be particularly effective in rural communities, where close-knit relationships and highly engaged community members provide an ideal jumping off point for collaborative efforts. However, with limited resources that must stretch further than their urban counterparts’, it can often be a struggle to implement and sustain this approach.  Recognizing this, ICCR and the Conference on Crimes Against Women are coming together to provide critical training and resources for implementing collaborative, systemic responses to domestic violence in rural communities nationwide.

Please click here to register.

Foundational Academy

The final Foundational Academy of 2023 will be held:

October 18 - 20, 2023

The Graduate Hotel

125 South Atherton Street

State College, PA 16801.

This is in-person only, there is no virtual or hybrid option

Registration is free and hotel rooms, parking, and lunch are included. Participants are on their own in the evenings.

Registration for the October Academy will be open August 28 - 30, 2023 under the PDAI Training Calendar at www.pdaa.org. Trainings are listed by date; you will need to scroll down to October to find the information. It will not be listed at the top with the Save the Dates. Applications will be accepted for the above three days only. During this time, those who wish to attend the October Academy will be asked to apply for a spot. Information on funding and length of time at agency must be completed as part of this process. Registrations will no longer be automatic and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, applications to attend will be prioritized by, but not limited to, length of time at agency, number of spots filled by the agency in 2021/2022, etc. Applicants must be able to attend all 3 days of Academy in its entirety, as well as complete an additional supplemental online training requirement.

Once prioritized, the top 55 applicants will be notified of their acceptance into Academy. All others will be placed on the priority waitlist and notified of such. The selection process will take up to 2 weeks. All pending applicants will be contacted as soon as the lists are finalized. We ask for your patience during that time period; as a reminder, we will contact you either way. Additionally, Academy spots are only for those VOCA, VOJO, and RASA-funded individuals for whom attendance is required per PCCD's Consolidated Victim Services Standards. And finally, only a maximum of 8 staff members per agency may apply for each Academy.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Smulktis, Restitution & Victim/Witness Training Consultant at AJS@RestitutionConsulting.com 

Victims Compensation Assistance Program Online Trainings

The following trainings will be held on August 1, 2023.  

• Funeral & Burial Expenses Clinic - 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Transportation Expenses Clinic – 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The following trainings will be held on August 16, 2023.

• Crime Scene Cleanup Expenses Clinic - 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Myths of Compensation – 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The following training will be held on August 29, 2023. 

•  Basic Compensation - 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The following trainings will be held on September 14, 2023. 

• · Motor Vehicle-Related Crime Expenses Clinic - 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• · Relocation Expenses Clinic – 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The following trainings will be held on September 19, 2023. 

• “Wow, That’s Covered by Compensation” - 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Stolen Benefit Cash Expenses Clinic – 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The following trainings will be held on September 26, 2023. 

• ·Loss of Earnings Clinic - 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• · Counseling Expenses Clinic – 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

All trainings count towards 1 hour of the required RASA/VOCA/VOJO training hours, except Basic Compensation which counts towards 2 and DAVE training which counts towards 2.25.

Please click here to register.

Please click here to view current employment opportunities.

Please click here to view current employment opportunites.

Please click here to view current employment opportunities.

Please click here to view current employment opportunities.