If you know someone who has been a victim of a violent crime in Delaware, the Delaware Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP) may be able to help. Part of the state’s Department of Justice, VCAP helps alleviate financial burdens and lighten the anguish that crimes leave on all victims.
Violent crimes are intentional acts by persons against persons or property that inflict physical harm or threaten to do so. Violent crimes are often marked by hatred or anger, and an incredible disregard for the worth and rights of another human being.
The intense … and often unexpected … nature of violent crimes often leaves victims physically and emotionally shaken. That’s where the VCAP comes in. When the world of someone is overturned by a violent act, the VCAP is a resource to which they can turn.
Every state in the country operates a program to help pay for certain expenses that result from violence or abuse. Delaware’s agency has been providing such support over the course of four decades, helping:
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Victims and their families who have been physically or emotionally injured by a crime in Delaware.
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Victims of domestic violence.
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Victims of criminal offenses including murder, assault, kidnapping, arson, burglary, sexual assault, or sexual abuse.
VCAP serves as an important lifeline, reaching out to victims wherever they are located in all three Delaware counties. The agency helps victims navigate every step of the process and the road to recovery. VCAP receives and reviews applications for assistance, even helping victims to properly complete all the needed forms. The agency manages the program’s funds, and makes determinations regarding the awarding of compensation.
Delaware’s history of assisting victims of violent crime dates back to 1974, when the State’s General Assembly created the Victim’s Compensation Fund. This Fund was established to help innocent victims of certain crimes meet additional hardships imposed upon them due to those crimes, by covering them for some of their losses sustained.
Funding for Delaware’s Fund is generated by a surcharge on fines and penalties imposed by the Courts. No tax dollars are used to fund VCAP.
For
more information,
contact the Victims' Compensation Assistance Program
at
255-1770 or call the Delaware Helpline at 1-800-464-HELP |
