25 Years of Rebuilding Lives, Celebrating the Victim’s of Crime Act National Crime Victim’s Rights Week
Quad Cities, IA/IL - April 26 marks the beginning of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to focus on victims of crime and celebrate our nation’s progress in serving them. This year’s theme, “25 Years of Rebuilding Lives: Celebrating the Victims of Crime Act.” honors a landmark national commitment to victims of crime.
Most Americans have never heard of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). They may know about domestic violence shelters or rape crisis centers. They may have heard about victim notification systems or victim advocates. Yet they probably do not know that VOCA established the Crime Victims Fund, which provides critical support to their communities.
Before 1984, victims of crime generally received little public support. The President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime, formed by President Ronald W. Reagan in 1982, found widespread poor treatment of victims by a criminal justice system indifferent to their needs. Although most states had some form of victim compensation, most programs were poorly funded. Despite the few victim assistance programs available in some states and the federal effort to fund victim/witness programs throughout the nation, most communities relied on a few grassroots organizations—funded by sporadic private donations and bake sales—to help victims of crime.
In 1984, moved by the President’s Task Force report findings and the work of victim advocates, Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which created the Crime Victims Fund, financed not by taxpayers but by 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.
The Fund supports victim compensation programs, which reimburse victims for many out-of pocket expenses—such as medical care, counseling, funerals, and lost wages—that victims face in the aftermath of crime. It also helps fund victim assistance programs—such as rape crisis and domestic violence programs—that support victims by providing physical and emotional care and guidance in navigating the criminal justice system. In 2006, VOCA funds supported more than 4,400 public and nonprofit agencies serving almost 4 million victims, and paid more than $440 million in victim compensation.
Locally, activities or displays by the Quad Cities Crime Victims Rights Week Committee include:
April 13 - May 8th- Community Awareness Displays - features photos and names honoring and remembering crime victims.
Location: Genesis Medical Center West- 1401 W. Central Park, North Middle Entrance in the Atrium; Davenport, IA
Location: Rock Island County Courthouse- Rotunda- Main Floor, 210 -15th St. Rock Island, IL
Location: Scott County Courthouse.-2nd Floor, County Attorney’s Office, 400 W. 4th St. Davenport, IA
April 29th Noon- Proclamation for National Crime Victims Rights Week
Location: Davenport Police Department, 416 Harrison St. Davenport. Awareness displays and refreshments served. Remarks by County, City and Federal officials from Iowa and Illinois and a victim speaker. For more information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and events in the Quad Cities area, please contact Carla Veasey with Rock Island County Children’s Advocacy Center (RICCAC) at 309-794-6451, or Mike Bladel, Law Enforcement Coordinator with the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 515- 473-9342.
Quad Cities Crime Victims Rights Week Committee:
Sue Stewart Lodmell – U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Iowa 563-449-5440
Carla Veasey – Rock Island County Children’s Advocacy Center 309-794-6451
Linda Molyneaux – HELP Legal Assistance 563-322-6216
Deb James – Iowa Department of Corrections 563-324-2131
Christy Davis – Bettendorf Police Department 563-344-4041
Sally Marten/Sandy Enke – Scott County Attorney’s Office 563-326-8745
Nicole Cisne – Family Resources, Inc. 309-797-6534
Rhonda DeFrieze- Child Protection Response Clinic 563-421-7160
Jack Sheppard-Davenport Police Department 563-888-3548
Glenda Verbeke- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of Illinois 309-793-5884
Adela Martinez – Rock Island County Regional Office of Education 309-764-3607
Greg Heist-Moline Police Department 309-797-0442
Kit Miller-Winnie’s Place Shelter of Churches United 309-764-9466
Susan Slattery Branstetter-Crime Victim 563-441-7627
Sandy Carrillo-Crime Victim 563-508-3518
Cathleen Heuer-Scotty’s Auction Service, Inc. & Crime Victim 563-579-4242
Cheryl Badolato-Generations Agency on Aging 563-324-9085