The Victim Services Division (VSD) informs, supports, and assists victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.
VSD is responsible for ensuring that victims of crimes investigated by the FBI are given the opportunity to receive services and notification as required by federal law and the Attorney General Guidelines on Victim and Witness Assistance.
Since its inception in 2001, the FBI’s victim assistance program has provided services—such as crisis intervention, emergency travel assistance, and local referrals for counseling, housing, and other services—to more than 2 million victims.
VSD manages several specialized programs and resources:
- The Terrorism and Special Jurisdictions program provides emergency assistance to injured victims and families of victims murdered in terrorist attacks within the U.S. and outside the country and serves as a permanent point-of-contact for terrorism victims within the FBI.
- The Child Pornography Victim Assistance program coordinates assistance and notification services for victims of child sexual abuse material and their guardians.
- The Child Victim Services program provides support to child victims and witnesses of federal crimes through investigative forensic interviews and offers indirect support to field victim specialists through consultation with child victim program coordinators. The team is focused on ensuring that any interactions with child victims or witnesses are tailored to the child's stage of development and minimize any additional trauma to the child.
- The Victim Assistance Program places victim specialists in FBI field offices across the country to personally assist victims of federal crimes investigated by the division or field office where they work; the program also supports cases globally.
- The Victim Services Response Team deploys to crisis and mass casualty events.
- Large-scale case support facilitates victim identification, notification, communication, and data analysis.
- Crisis response canines engage with victims, families, first responders, and law enforcement to mitigate stress and anxiety.
- Training and support provided to law enforcement and other partners includes how to build victim services programs, enhance child/adolescent forensic interviewing skills, deliver death notifications without further traumatizing family members, and conduct victim and family briefings following mass casualty events.
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Seeking Victim Information in Dr. Samuel Chacon Investigation
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Seeking Information Pertaining to Unaccounted for Individuals of the Maui Wildfires
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Poszukiwanie Informacji nt. Ofiar w Śledztwie dot. Nielegalnego Postępowania Seksualnego
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Buscando Información de Víctimas en una Investigación de Conducta Sexual Ilegal
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Потрібна інформація про жертв для розслідування злочинної сексуальної поведінки
Victim Notification System
The FBI partners with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the free, automated Victim Notification System (VNS). Available in English and Spanish, VNS is designed to provide victims with information and notifications regarding their cases.
VNS notifications that may be provided can include information about investigative status, criminal charges filed, outcome of charges, scheduled court proceedings, and the offender’s custody status (e.g., placement in community corrections centers, furlough, release, or death). All VNS notifications contain a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow access to VNS via the Internet and the Call Center. Registration with VNS will provide access to all VNS information and can be completed at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov. The VNS Call Center is also available to provide information at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968). VIN and PIN are required to use the Call Center.
Publications
- FBI Victim Assistance Program (pdf)
- Help for Victims of Crime (pdf)
- Financial Crime and You (pdf)
- Navigating the Impact of Sexual Assault (pdf)
- Children Affected by Crime (pdf)
- Coping After Terrorism for Injured Survivors (pdf)
- Coping After Terrorism for Survivors (pdf)
- Criminal Aviation Investigations (pdf)
- Help for Victims of Bank Robbery (pdf)
- Help for Victims of Human Trafficking (pdf)
- More
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08.01.2023
FBI-Led Sweep Targeting Sex Traffickers Recovers Dozens of Minor Victims
The FBI-led “Operation Cross Country" located 59 minor victims of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and another 59 children who had been reported missing.
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05.05.2023
Tribal Community Event in Arizona Illustrates FBI Role in MMIP Initiative
The family of a missing Native American recently attended an event sponsored by FBI Phoenix that offered support and resources to relatives of missing or murdered Indigenous persons.
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08.15.2022
Operation Cross Country Recovers Trafficking Victims
A multi-week operation led by the FBI and its law enforcement partners helped recover victims of human trafficking.
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06.28.2022
Director Christopher Wray has named Timothy Langan as the executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch at FBI Headquarters in Washington.
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04.29.2022
FBI Las Vegas Federal Fact Friday: National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
This year, National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) is observed April 24 to 30, and the theme for the 2022 NCVRW is "Rights, access, equity, for all victims."