Oklahoma crime victim compensation program to receive $756,000

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime will supplement Oklahoma's crime victim compensation program with $756,000, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

The program provides financial assistance to crime victims for their medical bills and other crime-associated expenses. Fines and penalties collected each year by U.S. Attorneys offices, U.S.

Courts and the Bureau of Prisons are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and then are available for grant awards the following year, a news release said.

Each state's grant amount is equal to 40 percent of what the state paid out to compensate victims in the previous year.

------ For more information about Oklahoma's victim compensation program, contact Suzanne McClain Atwood, executive coordinator of the Crime Victims Compensation Board, (405) 264-5006.

On the Internet, check out the Web site: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc.