“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

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

A Victims’ Rights Resource Center and Legal Clinic

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. Over the past few decades, the criminal justice system has made progress improving the treatment of crime victims, but there is still much work to be done.  Often, victims/survivors of crime learn about their rights after it’s too late or maybe even not at all.  Some experience difficult situations and actual rights violations and then don’t know what next steps to take.  However, Crime Victims First is the first agency to help victims/survivors of crime in these situations. Our mission is to promote and protect victims’ rights, prevent rights violations, and improve the treatment of victims/survivors by the criminal justice system through education, advocacy, and enforcement.

CV1 Free Services

• emotional support
• criminal justice support
• information and resources
• referrals
• ask and advocate program
• legal advice and representation
• online complaint system – victims’ rights violations
• online education program and trainings

Ways to Help Crime Victims First

For the past ten years, our 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit has been managed and supported by a dedicated team of advocates and volunteers.  We have made enormous but gradual progress over the years, and have successfully implemented the first victims’ rights resource center and legal clinic in Texas.  In our first year of operation starting in 2009, Crime Victims First had thousands of visits to our site, and officially served 10 clients with approximately 25 rights violation complaints involving a variety of rights violations throughout Texas.  As we move forward, we have partnered with UT Law School and Texas Legal Services to enhance our services and offer a victims’ rights legal clinic.  However, our success and the future of victims’ rights enforcement will require us to raise funds to hire staff.  We are applying for grants and doing events, but we must increase our private donations.  This is necessary to achieve our mission and further advance our efforts to promote and protect crime victims’ rights.  Will you help?

Things You Can Do To Help Now!

1. Make a donation no matter the size
2. Become a benefactor
3. Become a sponsor of the nonprofit
4. Become a sponsor of our Jam 4 Justice Events
5. Become an advertiser on our website
6. Become a monthly donor – Give $10 dollars a month or more
7. Take our online training
8. Purchase tickets to Jam 4 Justice
9. Purchase a block of tickets to Jam 4 Justice (100 tickets)
10. Purchase merchandise at our online store
11. Make In-Kind donations and Volunteer

The Ask an Advocate Program is divided into categories.  There is a general forum for open discussion.  There is a victims/survivors forum for connecting with others and finding support.  There is an advocate forum for victim service providers to also connect and support each other.  Finally, there is a victims’ rights forum for discussing issues related to specific victims’ rights. These forums are critical since there are limited funds and resources to support the provision of victim services.  This is an opportunity to collaborate and share best practices, so we can ensure we meet the needs of victims/survivors of crime.

The sharing of information is vital to minimize the impact of crime on victims/survivors, and to improve victims’ rights enforcement and compliance.

Impact of Crime

The victims’ rights movement has been primarily concerned with increasing legal protections, enhancing victims’ legal standing in the criminal justice process, and increasing awareness about the impact of crime on victims and society. These efforts have contributed to increased research on crime victims’ reactions in the aftermath of crime. Zehr (1990) formulates three phases that characterize the impact of crime on victims and the recovery process:

• Impact Phase:  During the initial impact phase, reactions common to crime victims include being overwhelmed by feelings of confusion, helplessness, terror, and vulnerability. These feelings vary in intensity and duration, and it is common for new feelings to emerge such as anger, guilt, suspicion, depression, meaninglessness, self-doubt, and regret.
• Recoil Phase:  During the recoil phase, crime victims struggle to adjust and may experience PTSD-like symptoms including feelings of optimism replaced by feelings of severe depression and rage. Crime victims can become suspicious of other people and experience intensely frightening dreams.  Most victims experience feelings of anxiety, guilt, shame, and blame as they try to understand why the incident happened to them. This is an on-going process that will take time and it may be difficult to recover feelings of confidence, safety, and control.  During the weeks following crime, victims will struggle to adjust to their new situation, but the long-term affects of crime are often traumatic and far-reaching.
• Reorganization Phase:  Recovery requires that crime victims move from the “recoil” phase to a “reorganization” phase. In cases of serious crimes, victims move from being victims to being survivors.  Crime victims must progress to a point where the incident and the offender(s) no longer dominate their lives. This journey can be difficult and takes time. For some victims, this growth may never occur.

Numerous articles have examined the emotional and psychological effects of crime on victims (Kilpatrick, Edmunds, & Seymour, 1992; Kilpatrick & Falsetti, 1994; Resnick, 1988; Turman, 1999; & Scheidegger, 2002). Violent crime victims experience a variety of emotional problems. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common diagnosis (Kilpatrick & Acierno, 2003). PTSD is diagnosed when an individual has been exposed to a traumatic event that both presents actual or threatened death or serious injury to oneself or others, and elicits intense fear, helplessness, or horror (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Kilpatrick and Acierno (2003) state:

“Symptom parameters of the PTSD diagnosis include re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyper-arousal. Re-experiencing may take the form of recurrent recollections of the event, nightmares, flashbacks, or reactivity upon exposure to traumatic cues. Avoidance may be in the form of behavioral or cognitive escape from thoughts, feelings, individuals, or places associated with the trauma, as well as the experience of feelings of detachment, foreshortened future, and restricted affect. Finally, hyper-arousal is indicated by elevated startle response, sleep disturbances, hyper-vigilance, and concentration difficulties.” (p. 125-126).

The likelihood of developing PTSD and other disorders appears to vary according to sex, age, objective crime characteristics (e.g., degree of injury experienced), subjective crime characteristics (e.g., level of perceived life threat), and demographic characteristics (e.g., gender and age). Kilpatrick and Acierno (2003) found that PTSD and depression were consistently elevated for women across studies in which sexes were compared particularly for physical assault, with women experiencing about 10 times greater risk for PTSD following assault. The authors further report that age appears to be inversely related to PTSD and depression risk and found that the rate of current PTSD in older adult violent crime victims 3.3% was less than half that reported by younger adult victims. Finally, the effect of race on PTSD was mixed. Although African-Americans reported higher levels of stress in response to trauma in general, no differences were observed between African-Americans and Caucasians on rates of crime-related PTSD. Another study found that crimes of different intensities and different levels of threat are likely to produce different rates of PTSD (Carlson & Dutton, 2003).

Join the conversation at http://www.crimevictimsfirst.org/ask-an-advocate.html