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 proud to announce our new Step Up Now!  Learn Your Rights Campaign.  The goals are to increase awareness about crime victims’ rights and accountability to ensure rights are afforded and violations are prevented.  Our goal is to raise $50,000 to help support this campaign and the services/programs that support our mission.

“I would personally like to thank Crime Victims First for helping me understand my rights…YOU’RE AMAZING!” – Erica Wildman (Theft Victim)

Too often, victims are not aware they have rights or they find out too late to ensure those rights are afforded to them.  In some cases, victims’ rights are violated and there is limited support and assistance to help them.  Crime Victims First was created to address these challenges, but CV1 needs your support to help increase awareness and understanding about victims’ rights, ensure rights are afforded to those who want them, and to provide support and assistance.

Crime Victims First is launching our new campaign called STEP UP NOW!  Learn Your Rights. The purpose of this campaign is to increase awareness about victims’ rights, support and assistance, and enforcement.  Your support also helps CV1 offer our services and programs.  Please join our Step Up Now!  Learn Your Rights Campaign.  You can make a difference today.

“The Crime Victims First organization has been a tremendous inspiration during this fight for victims’ rights.  CV1 provided the support and assistance I needed over this difficult two year journey to enforce my victims’ rights.  CV1 demonstrated integrity, creditability, and perseverance needed to make enforceable changes in victims’ rights.  I support CV1 efforts to increase awareness about victim rights laws and accountability.” – Steve Watson (Grandfather of Child Sexual Assault Victim)

Step Up Now! Join the Campaign

www.StepUpNow.org

Crime Victims First – Services/Programs

Crime Victims First provides the following services to anyone affected by crime and those working with them.

Education Services - providing training about victims’ rights, how to ensure these rights are afforded to you, what you can do if these rights are violated, and how those working with victims can move towards compliance.  CV1 created the first victims’ rights:  compliance & enforcement curriculum in Texas with support from the Texas Bar Foundation.  CV1 plans to expand curriculum to address the victim services and legal services perspectives on victims’ rights and enforcement.  CV1 is launching our Online Education Program in the fall 2011.

Victim Services - providing crisis counseling, emotional support and assistance, information, referrals and resources including our Ask an Advocate Program and Victims’ Rights Information Packets.

Legal Services - CV1 is initiating efforts to develop pro bono legal services to provide advice and representation to secure victims’ rights and attempt to resolve rights violations.  CV1 is a member of the National Alliance of Victims’ Rights Attorneys sponsored by the National Crime Victim Law Institute.  CV1 is also working with the University of Texas Law School Pro Bono Clinic providing learning opportunities for legal interns.  CV1 provides access to the first Online Victims’ Rights Complaint System in Texas.  Crime Victims First receives and attempts to resolve victim general complaints and rights violation complaints.

Public Policy - research shows that there are limited training and funding to achieve compliance with victims’ rights.  CV1 is working to secure the next wave of victims’ rights legislation – legislation that guarantees victims substantive rights and the procedural mechanisms to secure those rights.  CV1 is advocating for permanent funding for victims’ rights, victim services, compliance, and enforcement.  This includes providing funding necessary to fully train all victims, advocates, and those working with victims and ensure providers have what they need to be in compliance.  CV1 can help provide model legislation, and testify when called upon.  Take Action

Special Events - each year during National Crime Victims’ Rights Awareness Week, CV1 offers the Annual Jam 4 Justice Outreach Concerts (April) and the Step Up Now Kickball Tournament (October).  Sponsorship Packets Available

www.crimevictimsfirst.org

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.  This is the real problem.  How do we make crime victims’ rights less symbolic/illusory and more meaningful?  Crime Victims First is pioneering the efforts to educate, advocate, and enforce rights to achieve this vision.

Background

Over the past few decades, the victims’ rights movement has been highly successful in securing statutory rights and constitutional rights for victims/survivors of crime.  These rights are intended to provide opportunities for participating in the criminal justice process and protect them throughout it.  All states have some statutory protections and 33 states have constitutional rights.  Texas has had constitutional rights on the books since 1989.  In fact, Texas has some of the strongest language, terms, and protections on paper in America.  The problems include lack of awareness, training and education, understanding, utilization and enforcement.  According to research, a small number of crime victims are eligible for these rights (primarily violent crime victims); violent crime victims only report half (50%) of incidents; and only (9%) of these violent crime victims seek services and participate in the justice process (U.S. Department of Justice, 2011).  Therefore, roughly (1 out of 10) violent crime victims are in a position to be notified of their rights, have them afforded to them, and if those rights are violated consider enforcement as a remedy to ensure their voice is heard and they can participate in the justice process.  This also means that even if the crime is reported, a majority of victims/survivors go without information, support and assistance.  This is alarming! It’s also important in terms of enforcement because there are violent crime victims who will do everything in the pursuit of justice.  So, if this group reports, cooperates, requests rights in writing, requests meetings, calls and emails, writes a victim impact statement, attends hearings, sends final demand letter, and feels they are getting nowhere, they learn about their rights, and now want to enforce them.  This is a specialized group and they are making enforcement a challenging issue that is likely to reshape victim services and assistance forever.  It must be done to preserve the profession and fulfill the promises made to victims/survivors of crime.  It can be done!  It is being accomplished in at least 13 other states – See Oregon, Maryland or S. Carolina as potential models.

Problems

The majority of crime victims do not report and get nothing. The only statistic that has remained constant for several decades is lack of reporting.  To be eligible for crime victims’ rights, victims/survivors must be involved in a violent crime (i.e. murder, rape, assault), report the crime, cooperate, be notified of rights, invoke those rights since most are “upon request,” and do all of this under duress.  A large number of victims/survivors do not report and are not aware of their right or services and programs available to support and assist them.  This is one reason that victims’ rights and enforcement are symbolic.  This is beginning to change.  A victims’ rights enforcement movement is emerging and there are enforcement programs/clinics starting to address these concerns related to fulfilling the promises to victims/survivors including increasing awareness, availability and accessibility of crime victims’ rights and accountability making these rights more meaningful and less symbolic.

Solutions

Crime Victims First (CV1) is the first victims’ rights education, advocacy, and enforcement nonprofit in Texas.  CV1 is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and a leader on the forefront of increasing awareness and accountability.  CV1 was created in 1999 and officially launched in 2007.  CV1 is a grassroots private initiative supported and managed by a small and dedicated team of volunteers.  We do not accept government funding.  CV1 wants and can do more.  We need your help.  Please join our Step Up Now – Learn Your Rights Campaign or make a tax deductible contribution today.  The goal is to promote and protect crime victims’ rights through education, advocacy, enforcement, and to provide support and assistance to anyone affected by crime and victimization.  Your tax-deductible donation helps CV1 implement and expand the following services and programs including educational services, victim services, and legal services making crime victims’ rights more meaningful and less symbolic.  It also ensures that anyone affected by crime or victimization has a place to go for support and assistance regardless of their circumstances.  Will you help?

www.crimevictimsfirst.org