For most of our nation's history, vast numbers of victims have told
stories not unlike the one I just shared. In 1986, Lois Haight
Harrington, who led President Reagan's Task Force on Victims of Crime,
described the treatment of crime victims in America as "a national
disgrace." Victims had been "ignored, mistreated, or blamed," she
reported, and "handled like photographs or fingerprints-mere evidence to
be manipulated at the criminal justice system's convenience." Such
insensitivity toward victims, she said, was "not only unjust but unwise"
because "without their help, the system cannot hold offenders
accountable and stem the tide of future crime."
National Crime Victims' Rights Week began in 1981. This weeklong annual
observance is used to build public awareness about the realities of
crime victimization and to mobilize support for expanding reforms that
brought more crime victims into the criminal justice system. In response
to urging from victims and advocates, states began to amend their state
constitutions to enshrine victims' rights in a meaningful way.
Thirty-two states have constitutional victims' rights amendments, all
grounded in the ideals of fairness, dignity and respect for victims of
crime. Sadly, Vermont does not have victims' rights embedded in the
state constitution and, therefore, lacks the ability to enforce and
uphold victim's rights as in the other 32 states.
Right now, every day in every state, victims are still being denied
access to courtrooms and sentencing hearings, protection from offenders,
or the right to notification -- even in states where that right exists.
In addition, only a fraction of victims receive needed victim
assistance services that will help them rebuild their lives. These
failures deny victims the fairness, dignity and respect that our
movement's founders envisioned.
Yet, how can we prevent such failures? How can we ensure fairness,
dignity and respect for all victims of crime? First, we can promote
fairness by knowing our state's victims' rights and supporting victims
who assert them. We must insist that officials enforce these rights, and
we must hold them accountable when they neglect such crucial
priorities. We can also insist that these rights apply to every victim,
every time.
We can promote dignity by insisting on the fullest possible protections
for victims. We can write letters or e-mails to newspaper or television
reporters who minimize the trauma victims suffer or treat them
disrespectfully. And, during these tough financial times, we can donate
resources to keep victim service providers open and available to
victims.
Finally, we can promote respect simply by listening to victims and
treating them as participants-not spectators-in the criminal justice
system. Victims who feel they have been heard and respected are more
likely to view the criminal justice process as fair, even though they
have little control over the outcome of their cases.
The 2010 National Crime Victims' Rights Week reignites the passion for
fairness, dignity and respect that launched the victims' rights movement
and inspired decades-long progress for victims of crime. By heeding its
message, we chart a course for stronger rights and better services in
the decades ahead.
We hope you will consider joining us for the annual VT Crime Victim
Rights Week: Honor Survivor Day ceremony at the Pavilion building in
Montpelier, on Thursday, April 22, beginning at 1 p.m. Meg Garvin,
director of programs at the National Crime Law Institute (Portland,
Oregon) will be giving the keynote address. For more information please
contact The Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services at 802-241-1250 or
you can visit them on the web at www.ccvs.state.vt.us/joomla/index.php
Susan S. Russell lives in Warren, VT.
