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Press Release

U.S. Attorney for Kansas Spotlights Crime Victims’ Rights

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Kansas

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Protecting the rights of crime victims is a high priority, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said today.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Kansas is joining advocates from across the state in recognizing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 8-14, 2018.

“As a society we must not lose sight of the costs and suffering that crime inflicts on those who are victims. Many organizations—federal, state and local—provide support and services to the victims of crime. The Constitution creates and requires recognition of several rights for those accused of crime, and rightly so. But our society also must recognize the dignity of the victims of crime, strive to ease the pain and loss many have suffered, and fully support victims’ legitimate interest in seeing justice done.”

McAllister said victim assistance staff members will be participating in the 21st Annual Crime Victims’ Rights Conference in Topeka, April 11 and 12. In coming months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be co-hosting the 2018 Indian Country Conference in Omaha, Neb., May 9-10, and hosting the 2018 Human Trafficking Conference in Manhattan, Kan., July 10-11.

Events across the nation this week recognize the Crime Victim’s Rights Act, which guarantees victims protection from an accused, accurate and timely information about court proceedings and the right to be treated with fairness and respect for their dignity and privacy.

Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorney’s Offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. In addition, the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Offices take part in events to honor the victims and advocates, as well as bring awareness to services available to victims of crime. This year’s theme is Expand the Circle: Reach All Victims.

The U.S. Department of Justice will host the Office for Victims of Crime’s annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 13, 2018, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.

The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week each year. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.

The Office of Justice Programs provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of-the art knowledge and practices across America, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime-fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter into partnerships with these officers. More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at https://ojp.gov/. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/. You may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas’ Victim Witness Program at 316-269-6481.

Updated April 10, 2018

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Community Outreach
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