U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes Coordination and Collaboration Between American Red Cross Workers and Crime Victim Service Providers “Putting Victims First” U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Alberto R. Gonzales Attorney General Regina B. Schofield Assistant Attorney General John W. Gillis Director, Office for Victims of Crime Office of Justice Programs Partnerships for Safer Communities www.ojp.usdoj.gov Office for Victims of Crime www.ovc.gov NCJ 209681 This document was prepared by the Office for Victims of Crime and the American Red Cross under contract number OJP–2001–253–M, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Contents Introduction and Overview . .1 OVC/American Red Cross Collaborative Timeline . .2 Natural Disasters, Acts of Terrorism, and Mass Violence Crimes: Similarities and Differences . .3 Office for Victims of Crime . .6 Crime Victim Assistance and Services . .8 Grants and Funding Available to Organizations Through OVC . .10 Basics of the Criminal Justice Process . .11 Conclusion . .13 References and Resources . .14 Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes 1 Introduction and Overview he American Red Cross (ARC) and the Office for Since 1983, OVC has assisted crime victims at the Victims of Crime (OVC) in the U.S. Department federal, state, and local levels by funding direct T of Justice fill critical and complementary roles in support, advocacy programs, and compensation assisting victims of terrorism and mass violence. The programs for crime-related expenses. More recently, deceased, survivors, and bereaved family members in OVC has supported the development of innovative these events are victims of a deliberately perpetrated programs and approaches for assisting victims criminal act. As such, they may be eligible for both and their families in cases like the bombing of the state and federally legislated services and ARC Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, the disaster services. Columbine High School shootings, the bombing of the USS Cole, and the September 11 terrorist attacks Disaster-related human need and suffering trigger in Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia. ARC relief operations. ARC disaster operations are activated based on the results of a disaster, not its Similarly, ARC provided a range of disaster relief cause. ARC assists communities affected by natural services in each of these criminal incidents, including disasters, epidemics, transportation accidents, terror­ food, shelter, emergency financial assistance, mental ism, weapons of mass destruction, and other hazards. health support, and assistance with locating missing In contrast, OVC and state and local crime victim persons. The National Transportation Safety Board assistance programs are activated when there is sig­ (NTSB) designated ARC to be the lead family assis­ nificant indication that a disaster has been caused by tance provider following aviation disasters. ARC dis­ a criminal act. When both ARC and crime victim ser­ aster relief services are activated immediately after an vice agencies are involved in a response, thoughtful air disaster, usually before the cause of the crash has coordination of each program’s efforts facilitates bet­ been determined. ter service to victims and family members. Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes 2 OVC/American Red Cross Collaborative Timeline o better serve the victims of terrorism and mass important cooperative effort by providing ARC with violence, ARC, OVC, and the Executive Of fice the following information and support: for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) signed a letter of T ■ It acquaints ARC chapters and disaster services intent in 1996 that emphasized the necessity for close staff and volunteers with the needs and rights of interagency cooperation among OVC, ARC, the U.S. crime victims involved in these disasters so ARC Attorney’s Office victim­witness coordinators, and may coordinate with crime victim assistance pro­ state compensation and assistance programs to grams at the local, state, and federal levels dur ­ ensure timely and appropriate deliver y of services to ing nationally administered relief operations. victims. This agreement was based on lessons lear ned from the Oklahoma City bombing response. ■ It assists ARC’s disaster relief workers in respond­ ing to the unique concerns of victims of criminal In 1999, ARC implemented a weapons of mass acts involving terrorism and mass violence. destruction/terrorism program to ensure that chapters across the Nation and in all lines of service are pre­ This booklet addresses the following issues: pared to respond to terrorist incidents. This compre­ ■ hensive program includes preparedness guidance How are natural disasters similar to and different and training for ARC chapters, information for the from disasters caused by criminal human American public, and outreach to other federal behavior? agencies—including OVC—to promote a coordinated ■ How can ARC workers assist victims of terrorism response. and mass violence crimes? Although nothing could have prepared our country ■ What is the Office for Victims of Crime? completely for the events of September 11, 2001, the working relationship between OVC and ARC enabled ■ What types of crime victim assistance and servic­ both agencies to effectively meet unforeseen chal­ es may bereaved family members and survivors lenges and provide needed assistance to the victims receive following human­caused disasters? of these horrific events. This booklet supports this ■ What is the significance of the criminal justice system for victims of terrorism and mass violence? Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes 3 Natural Disasters, Acts of Terrorism, and Mass Violence Crimes: Similarities and Differences any types of natural disasters, such as floods, OVC has developed a working definition of “mass tornadoes, and hurricanes, follow regional violence” as— M and seasonal patterns. These patterns provide some degree of familiarity and predictability for com­ An intentional violent criminal act, for which a munity victims, emergency responders, and disaster formal investigation has been opened by the relief workers. When a major disaster is caused by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or other law deliberate human acts, sudden and unexpected enforcement agency, that results in physical, emo­ threat, horror, and destruction inevitably impact inno­ tional, or psychological injury to a sufficiently cent and unsuspecting people in the course of their large number of people to significantly increase daily routines. The resulting deaths and property the burden of victim assistance and compensation destruction become reminders to many of their own for the responding jurisdiction as determined by vulnerability and their inability to keep their loved the OVC Director. ones out of harm’s way. When fostering terror is the Mass violence crimes may be under federal goal, the threat of attack at any time and in any pub­ or state jurisdiction, but acts of terrorism are lic setting is implicit and intended. always federal crimes. In the guidelines for OVC’s Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program for Terrorism and Emotional and Psychological Mass Violence Crimes, “terrorism occurring within the Effects of Disaster United States” is defined as— The psychological and emotional aftereffects of a Activities that (A) involve acts dangerous to major disaster are more severe and longer lasting human life that are a violation of the criminal when the disaster results in significant numbers of laws of the United States or of any State, (B) fatalities, seriously injured victims, and destroyed busi­ appear to be intended—(i) to intimidate or nesses and homes. Those most personally touched are coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the likely to experience the greatest suffering. Surviving policy of a government by intimidation or coer­ victims and bereaved families will experience a range cion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government of short- and long-term impacts that are emotional, by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnaping; physical, financial, and legal. and (C) occur primarily within the territorial juris­ diction of the United States [18 U.S.C. § 2331, The characteristics of a disaster, which include a lack as amended]. of warning, extreme threat to life, exposure to trau­ ma, and uncontrollability, also contribute to the Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes 4 severity and duration of the victims’ psychological reac­ Disaster’s Effects on tions. It is important to note that these attributes can be Targeted Groups associated with either natural or human-caused disas­ The crime may have targeted a particular group ters. Because mass casualties are usually an objective defined by culture, religion, nationality, politics, or eth­ of terrorism, mass violence crimes,