MOUNT VERNON – The Knox County Commission has approved federal grants totaling $43,261 for the County’s Victim Assistance Program.
The money paid under the Victims of Crime Act will be used to pay for the basics, Diana Oswalt, director of the Knox County Victims Assistance Program, told the Mount Vernon News.
“It goes for payroll, the lease on my copier, supplies, and training and memberships,” she said. “I have a very thin budget.”
She helps victims of felonies, including rape and murder, recover from the crimes. That could range from referring the victim to counseling to helping them get financial assistance for medical bills.
Oswalt's office accompanies victims to court hearings and trials and helps them prepare impact statements that can be presented during sentencing. She also helps ensure that victims are notified when the person who committed the crime is released from prison.
When victims do have to appear at court hearings, the Assistance Program offers them access to a secure waiting area.
“They don’t need to be in the courtroom around the defendant,” Oswalt said. “We sit in my office until it’s time to go over. We also sit in my office during jury deliberations. Part of my office looks like a living room.”
She helps victims obtain civil protection orders to limit contact with people who may do them harm. She also noted that the need for protective orders has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I used to do about 40 of those a year; now I am up to 80 a year,” Oswalt said.
In addition, the program helps victims with the return of property being held as evidence by law enforcement agencies. It can also help victims get compensation for injuries by filing a claim with the Ohio Court of Claims.
Federal funding to help domestic violence victims has been dropping, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a news release. Ohio received $112 million in 2018 but only $55.5 million this year. Yost and other attorneys general have called on Congress to increase the funding.
The grants are funded by fines in white-collar cases, but the Trump administration has shifted strategy, leading to fewer federal convictions, a report from the Columbus Dispatch said.
“Everybody got cut,” Oswalt said. “But any kind of cut is not good.” Knox County will make up for some of the grant cuts by paying health insurance costs for Oswalt, which she formerly covered with federal dollars.
