This week is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which seeks to raise public awareness about victims’ rights, and what protection and services are available to them.
This year’s theme, “Justice for Victims. Justice for All,” speaks to all of the work that has been done to ensure rights, protections and services for victims of crime. In 1990, Arizona voters passed Proposition 104, which provided for a Victims’ Bill of Rights. This Victims’ Rights Week is a reminder that we must continue to treat victims with respect and compassion, expand their rights and provide assistance for their recovery.
During my term as Governor, I have taken steps to ensure that victims’ voices are heard.
- I appointed an adviser for victims to personally work with crime victims – the first position of its kind in the country.
- My office awards “STOP” grants that are focused on assistance to women, which in 2007 funded 25 projects statewide, aiding victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
- We now have laws that make it easier to track registered sex offenders and allow victims of domestic violence to break a lease if it helps them stay safe from an abuser.
- Our state Department of Corrections now also oversees a Restorative Justice Program that raises funds donated by Arizona prison inmates for victims’ organizations – over $1 million in money, goods and services since 2004.
If you are a victim of crime and have questions about your rights or need referral services, you can contact my Adviser for Victims, Dan Levey, at 602-364-2235. You can also click here for a directory of victims’ rights resources. If you or someone you know is a victim of crime, make sure you know your rights and get the resources needed for recovery.
