September 2 , 2002

Cuts for Victims of Crime

Documents obtained through a freedom of information request suggest that the Ministry of the Solicitor General is substantially cutting services to victims of crime with no evaluation of those services. The documents list various performance measures but provide no information on any program that may have been measured. The Ministry's "service plan" claims to have a strategy to assist victims but it provides no outcome measurement for those services.

In June Solicitor General Rich Coleman issued a news release saying that "The government is protecting the current funding of $9.3 million a year" for victim services. "Protecting" is new speak in the New Era for freezing. The same release announced "eighteen new police-based victims programs will be established". Combined with the "protecting" statement that means some existing victim services were cut in order to fund the new police based services. Whether or not those were rational decisions ought to be revealed by the documentation for the core review for victim services.

The BC Coalition of Women's Centres' webpage complains of the elimination of the Crown Victim Witness Services Program and of Crown-based Victim Services. The Coalition also identifies cuts to the Violence in Relationship Program and to Rape Crisis counselors (auxiliary victim services workers who help rape and domestic violence victims have been laid off). It is hard to reconcile the cuts described by the BC Coalition of Women's Centres with the Solicitor General's boast that funding for victim services is "protected".

Documents released under a freedom of information request list the following victim services programs. Those programs (not including the eliminated victim witness services program) had budgets totaling $11,094,000 or almost $1.8 million more than the figure quoted in the Solicitor General's news release. Perhaps that explains the difference between that release and what is reported on the BC Coalition of Women's Centres' webpage. Did the Solicitor "protect" after cutting?

Program	Budget
1-800 Victim Information Line	$132,000
Addressing High Risk Victims	$890,000
48 Community-based specialized victim services programs	$3,600,000
80 Police-based Victim Services programs	$3,300,000
21 Sexual assault, women assault centre programs	$2,100,000
Sexual exploitation of Children and Youth Prevention, Intervention and Support	$183,000
Victim Services Training and Publication	$350,000
6 Violence Against Women in Relationships Coordination Programs	$309,000
Victim Notification Unit	$230,000
subtotal:	$11,094,000
Criminal Injury Compensation	$23,500,000

In its "service plan" the Ministry of the Solicitor General says that one of its goals is "recovery assistance and protection for all victims of crime, notably high risk victims." It goes on to say that one of its strategies is to "Improve access and timely provision of benefits and services for victims of crime." However, no output measurement is provided in the Solicitor General's service plan for any victim service.

The documents obtained under a freedom of information request say that there were 7,700 calls to the 1-800 victim assistance line in year 2000. No data were given but the document said that performance measurements include average wait time for an operator and number of operators qualified to refer callers.

The documents obtained showed that the various programs devoted to addressing high risk victims were budgeted for $890,000. No data are given but performance measurements include description and value of direct awards, re-victimization rates, proven community protection strategies and safety measures implemented and declining incidence of threat, injury and fatalities among vulnerable victims.

The documents reveal that 10,751 victims were provided with service from community-based specialized victim service programs in fiscal year 2000-2001. Performance measures include service provider compliance to service delivery standards and client and stakeholder satisfaction with the quality of services provided; no data on performance are provided. The same measures are said to apply to police based victim services where 40,030 victims of crime were given services in 2000-2001. Again, no performance data are available.

The documents disclose that the new Crime Victim Assistance Act, which replaced the Criminal Injury Compensation program administered by the WCB, is expected to result in a reduction in costs (benefits) from $9.44 per capita to $5.73 per capita. Those figures probably say the most about services for victims of crime in BC. Just as the word "protected" is part of the Campbell government's new speak for education so it is also used to disguise significant cuts for victims of crime.