The commission has five members appointed by the governor and includes a practicing attorney, a county prosecutor, a law enforcement officer, a member of the medical profession, and a community-based victim advocate. It operates through the Department of Community Health. The department administers 3 victim services programs that provide more than $14 million in services to more than 200,000 citizens. These programs are crime victim compensation, crime victims’ rights, and crime victims’ assistance. The program provided $1.77 million in direct financial assistance to 663 crime victims during fiscal year 1997-98. Victim assistance included crisis counseling, therapy, group treatment, shelter and safehouse, emergency legal and personal advocacy, information and referral, and criminal justice support. Other accomplishments during the year included plans to use advanced telecommunications and computer technology to notify victims of court information and inmate status and a victims’ rights training and coordination project. Figures and tables