Outstanding Community Service Crime Victims First and the Stewart Family are proud to announce that Meg Garvin, the Executive Director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute, is the 2012 CV1/Stewart Family Outstanding Community Service Award Winner. The CV1/Stewart Family Outstanding Community Service Award is given each year to an individual or agency that makes [...]
Each month Crime Victims First takes donated items and resells them at our Healing Thrifts & Threads Fundraisers. These fundraisers help cover the day to day operating costs of the nonprofit. We are currently seeking donations for our upcoming fundraiser May 19th. Please visit the Healing Thrifts & Threads page for more information and to [...]
CV1 has been promoting and developing Pro Bono (free) Legal Services to Enforce Crime Victims’ Rights and Prevent Violations for over a Decade. CV1 is proud to announce that with the support of the Stewart Law Firm and the University of Texas Law School Pro Bono Clinic, the launching of our Crime Victims’ Rights Legal [...]
Thank you for allowing us to introduce a new resource for victims/survivors of crime, providers, lawyers, judges, and our community called CRIME VICTIMS FIRST. Crime Victims First (CV1) is a champion for crime victims’ rights awareness and accountability. Our mission is to promote and protect crime victims’ rights through education, advocacy, and enforcement. CV1 is [...]
Crime Victims’ Rights are Symbolic! The Texas Governor (2011), the Founder of the National Crime Victims Law Institute (2005), and the Executive Director of the Crime Victims Institute (2005) all agree that crime victims’ rights are often symbolic and illusory. This is true until a victim or survivor needs or wants them to be meaningful. [...]
Most of us never think about being a victim of a crime and having to deal with the criminal justice system. For these reasons, it’s not surprising that many of us have no idea that victims/survivors of crime have constitutional and statutory rights to protect them.
The Ask an Advocate Program is a public forum that allows victims/survivors, advocates, and the general public to share information and resources, ask questions, debate issues, and discuss anything related to promoting and protecting victims’ rights.
Since victims’ rights compliance and enforcement is an emerging problem not many jurisdictions have included it as part of their community planning. Therefore, victims’ rights compliance and enforcement initiatives are not eligible for government funding.
Imagine you have been raped. You are told to go to the hospital and get a sexual assault nursing exam (SANE) or commonly referred to as a rape kit. You go to the hospital you expect to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. You expect to be protected, but instead the hospital denies you the rape kit exam because you didn’t report your crime to law enforcement. So what is the problem? The law was changed in 2009…
A crime victims’ rights violation can sometimes be a difference of opinion or misunderstanding. In these situations, a dispute can be resolved by taking the time to talk and listen. Here are some basic steps that can be taken to address problems and concerns with an individual or agency.
