The Ohio Attorney General’s Crime Victim Services Section offers aid to victims, training for professionals who work with victims, and crime prevention programs for Ohio communities.
How do people know of your section?
We are best known for administering the Crime Victim Compensation Program, which is where victims of crime can apply to receive financial assistance toward some of the costs associated with the victimization.
I’m involved with the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding, which are grants to programs throughout that state that provide direct services to victims of crime. The money isn’t from taxes; it’s from court fines, fees and, settlements. We also administer the State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) funding, which is used for compensation and grants. Finally, there’s the Rape Crisis Trust Fund, which is general revenue funding from the state that the Attorney General’s Office awards in the form of grants to rape crisis programs.
Why is the work of this section important?
It really does have the ability to affect individuals at a time where they are probably going through one of the worst times of their lives. With our services, our section has an impact on folks being able to heal from what has happened and get back to as close as possible to where they were or to their new normal. Being able to help people during a crisis is really important.
What would readers be surprised to find out about your section?
In Crime Victim Services, it’s more than just the mechanical process of doing the paperwork and sending a check. We have a lot of interaction and conversation with victims of crime. Often, we are on the phone with victims helping them through their applications. We have advocates on staff who help individuals who need a connection to services or who maybe had trouble getting services. We help crime victims navigate the system and connect to services.
What is the most common request from the public to this office?
The Crime Victim Compensation Program is frequently requested, but our grant programs have been getting more attention since we received a large increase in federal funding. I get a lot of questions, by phone, email, and out in public, about grant funding and projects, so I explain the process that organizations need to follow in order to access the money. I try to encourage folks to go
online and read the Grants for Victim Service Providers documentation. I think it is better if they look and see whether a grant is geared to what they are doing.
Once they’ve read it, they can fill out the online application. The applications are then reviewed and scored and the State Victims Assistance Advisory Committee votes to recommend to the Attorney General what programs should be funded.
The section releases the Grants for Victim Service Providers application around the Two Days in May Conference on Victim Assistance. The applications are due June 30. We review them over the summer and go through the committee process and meet with the Attorney General. We start the funding on Oct. 1.
What makes Two Days in May special?
With Two Days in May, we’re able to bring advocates, law enforcement, and other disciplines together for training and information about what is going on with victim assistance in Ohio and beyond. It also gives us a chance to shine. We are ahead of a lot of other states.
The victim advocacy movement has strong roots in Ohio specifically in Greene and Montgomery counties: Jeannette Adkins, from Greene County, is a retired victim advocate who worked with Attorney General DeWine, and Rhonda Barner, a retired advocate from Montgomery County. Both are active with the National Organization for Victim Assistance, which today has many Ohio board members. I sit on that board. If you are going to be in victim services in Ohio, good chance you will sit on that board at least once.
What do you see in the section’s future?
As we become more technologically advanced, I believe a lot of outreach and awareness services are going to be offered through Smartphones. I bet our hotlines will be someday be replaced with chatlines.
How did you get into this line of work?
I started out as a grant evaluator, which involved looking at the fiscal books of programs that receive funds. I did that for about five years and became more involved in policy and programs. Then, I became assistant chief, which I have been for three years.
The Sheline File
Previous jobs: Internal auditor for a national retail chain; grant fiscal evaluator, Crime Victim Services Section, Ohio Attorney General’s Office
Education: Studying for a Master of Public Administration at Franklin University
Family: Married and two dogs, a Weimaraner named Loki and Doberman named Gracie
Hobbies: Gardening, reading, travel
Favorite quote: "Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you."
Contact information: 614-644-8392; 30 E. Broad St., 23rd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215; Donald.Sheline@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov