Dinner, ceremony are planned for crime victims' rights week
By Bobbi Mlynar
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
A dinner, program and candlelighting ceremony are planned on April 30 as part of the county’s recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 26 through May 2.
The April 30 event will be held “in honor, support and remembrance of those individuals whose lives have been touched by crime,” according to information from Vicky Lyon, victim-witness coordinator for the Lyon County Attorney’s office.
Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. in Fellowship Hall at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1508 W. 12th Ave., with a program and candlelighting set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Reservations for the dinner must be made by April 24 by calling Lyon, 341-3319; Mackenzie Raburn, victim-witness intern, 341-3407; or the county attorney’s office, 341-3263.
The event will recognize the 25th anniversary of the Victims of Crime Act. The theme is “25 Years of Rebuilding Lives: Celebrating the Victims of Crime Act.”
before 1984, when the act became law, victims of crime received little public support, Lyon said in a news release.
President Ronald Reagan’s task force on victims of crime found widespread poor treatment of victims by a criminal justice system that was indifferent to their needs.
“Although most states had some form of victim compensation, most programs were poorly funded,” Lyon said. “... Most communities relied on a few grassroots organizations — funded by sporadic private donations and bake sales — to help victims of crime.”
As a result of the task force findings and the work of victims’ advocates, Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act and financed it through fines and penalties paid by offenders.
“In 25 years, the fund has grown from $68 million to more than $2 billion and is disbursed throughout the nation in amounts determined by Congress every year,” Lyon said in the release.
The fund reimburses victims for many out-of-pocket expenses, such as medical care, counseling, funerals and lost wages, and also helps finance victim-assistance programs, such as rape crisis and domestic violence programs.
The U.S. Department of Justice will open National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with its annual national candlelight observance on April 23 and a National Crime Victims’ Service Award Ceremony on April 24. Both will be held in Washington, D.C.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I'm glad they recognize that crime affects others, sometime deeply. A good friend of mine was murdered so I know from personal experience how crime can affect those connected to a victim. Closure is a pop psych word that has no real meaning in the real world. The pain fades but leaves a scar on the heart. It's been almost 15 years and I still miss my friend and wonder how much good he could have done in the world if he'd not been killed.
April 16, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )