Filmmakers Forum - A Resource for Crime Documentarians

The Victims and the Media Program at Michigan State University School of Journalism was established in 1991 to assist journalism students in reporting on victims of violence and catastrophe with sensitivity, dignity and respect. Among their online resources are useful publications including Interviewing Victims - Tips and Techniques; Covering Crime Without Re-Victimizing the Victim; and Victims as Public Figures and the Issue of Privacy. Also online is a 38-minute videotape Reporting on Victims of Violence and Catastrophe.

The POMC mission is to provide support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder by increasing education, and enhancing prevention, advocacy, and awareness. The website has many useful resources on survivors' rights, survivor support, trauma, crisis intervention, sibling grief, legal issues, and information for professionals that work with survivors.

The mission of The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive. It is a self-help support organization that offers friendship, understanding, and hope to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. The TCF website offers several useful resources for individuals seeking information and insight about how to work with survivors of homicide.

VAWnet is an easily accessible and comprehensive collection of full-text, searchable electronic resources on domestic violence, sexual violence and related issues. VAWnet's primary goal is to support local, state and national violence against women prevention and intervention strategies that are safe, effective, and address the self-identified issues of consequences to victims and survivors. VAWnet's special areas of emphasis include violence against women in traditionally marginalized communities; the connections which exist between sexual assault and domestic violence; and "intersections" - the disproportionate impact on victims and survivors of violence against women of poverty, chemical dependency, racism, citizenship status, homophobia, mental and/or physical disability and other life-generated risks. The partners listed below work in collaboration with VAWnet as part of a CDC-funded network focusing on violence prevention resources to ensure a more comprehensive strategy for service provision.

Note: This resource list is by no means comprehensive. For a comprehensive list of websites with information about crime victim rights, needs, and services, visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at the U.S. Department of Justice www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc.