ORS 147.227: Disbursement of moneys to be used for victims’ assistance programs; qualifications; rules.

(1) The Attorney General shall disburse a portion of the moneys that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account receives from the Criminal Fine Account to counties and cities where prosecuting attorneys maintain victims’ assistance programs approved by the Attorney General. Upon receipt of the moneys, the counties and cities shall provide the moneys to the prosecuting attorney therein to be used exclusively for the approved victims’ assistance program. (2) To qualify for approval by the Attorney General under this section, a victims’ assistance program must: (a) Be administered by the district attorney of the county or city attorney of the city; (b) Provide services to victims of all crimes; (c) Give service priority to victims of serious crimes against persons; (d) Collaborate with community-based and government agencies to benefit victims; and (e) Provide the following core services to victims of crime: (A) Inform victims, as soon as practicable, of the rights granted to victims under Oregon law. (B) Advocate for victims of serious person crimes as they move through the criminal justice system and advocate, when requested, for all other victims of crime. (C) Involve victims, when practicable or legally required, in the decision-making process in the criminal justice system. (D) Ensure that victims are informed, upon request, of the status of the criminal case involving the victim. (E) Assist victims in preparing and submitting crime victims’ compensation program claims to the Department of Justice under ORS 147.005 to 147.367. (F) Assist victims in preparing restitution documentation for purposes of obtaining a restitution order. (G) Prepare victims for court hearings by informing them of the procedures involved. (H) Assist victims with the logistics related to court appearances when practicable and requested. (I) Accompany victims to court hearings when practicable and requested. (J) Encourage and facilitate victims’ testimony. (K) Inform victims of the processes necessary to request the return of property held as evidence. (3) If a victims’ assistance program substantially complies with subsection (2) of this section and the Attorney General determines that it would be impracticable for the program to achieve full compliance, the Attorney General may approve the program on a temporary basis, subject to conditions the Attorney General deems appropriate. (4) The Attorney General shall adopt administrative rules: (a) Establishing criteria for the equitable distribution of moneys disbursed under subsection (1) of this section among participating cities and counties; and (b) Establishing an advisory committee to provide consultation on the distribution of the moneys. The advisory committee shall consist of at least the following members: (A) A representative of the Department of Justice; (B) A representative of the Oregon District Attorneys Association; and (C) A representative of a prosecuting attorney’s victim assistance program. (5) As used in this section, “Attorney General” includes a designee of the Attorney General. [1987 c.905 §11; 1997 c.872 §30; 2001 c.829 §4; 2005 c.700 §7; 2007 c.24 §1; 2009 c.176 §1; 2011 c.597 §126]