National Organization for Victim Assistance
The National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) is the oldest victim-assistance organization in the United States, operating as a private, nonprofit entity. It is composed of a diverse group, including practitioners, academics, criminal justice professionals, victims, and survivors, all committed to advocating for the rights and services of victims of crime, trauma, and disaster. NOVA's mission focuses on raising awareness of victims' rights and ensuring access to necessary support services. The organization pursues four primary goals: advocating for victims’ rights at a national level, providing direct services to victims, assisting professional colleagues through training and publications, and offering services to member organizations and individuals. NOVA has played a significant role in establishing crime victim compensation programs across the nation and promoting the use of victim impact statements during sentencing. It has also contributed to the enactment of victims' bills of rights in numerous states and has improved response protocols for agencies during major incidents. Through training initiatives, NOVA ensures that personnel from various fields are equipped to support victims effectively. Overall, NOVA stands as a critical resource for advancing victim assistance and fostering a supportive environment for those affected by crime and trauma.
National Organization for Victim Assistance
IDENTIFICATION: Oldest victim-assistance organization in existence, a private, nonprofit organization made up of practitioners, academics, criminal justice agents, victims, and survivors
SIGNIFICANCE: In addition to advocating for victims’ rights, the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) helps crime, trauma, and disaster victims by providing direct services and education.
The mission of the National Organization for Victim Assistance is to bring attention to victims’ rights and services. NOVA has four main purposes: national advocacy for the purpose of implementing or promoting victims’ rights; direct services to victims, including training staff, volunteers, and others to meet the needs of victims; assistance to professional colleagues, including aiding victim advocates and others through training and publications and identifying imminent issues; and services to member organizations and individuals, including monthly bulletins and up-to-date programs concerned with victim assistance.
Significant contributions to victim assistance by NOVA include crime victim compensation programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; establishing the practice of reading victim impact statements at sentencing and parole in most states; enactment of victims’ bills of rights in almost every state; providing support to victims through personal contact; improvement of agency response to major incidents; providing training to all manner of personnel who work with victims, including criminal justice, mental health, clergy, and medical personnel; and identifying key issues in victim assistance that need attention.
Bibliography
Loya, Amy. "UNM Partners with NOVA to Support Sexual Assault Victims." Daily Lobo, 1 May 2023, www.dailylobo.com/article/2023/05/unm-partners-with-nova-to-support-sexual-assault-victims. Accessed 8 July 2024.
Office for Victims of Crime. New Directions from the Field: Victims’ Rights and Services for the Twenty-first Century. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, 1998.
Young, Marlene A. Victim Assistance: Frontiers and Fundamentals. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1993.