Justice Department Observes National Crime Victims' Rights Week With Events Throughout the Country

United States Attorney Mike Stuart Hosts 19^th Annual Operation Reach Out Ceremony

CHARLESTON – In observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia hosted the 19^th Annual Operation Reach Out Opening Ceremony today at the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse in Charleston, West Virginia.  Operation Reach Out, a collaborative of local advocacy programs, raises awareness of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and educates the community on the various organizations that provide services to crime victims.

Guest speakers included Debbie Casto, a survivor of domestic violence, and her brother, Sergeant Anthony Craigo with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.  Additionally, advocates, law enforcement and prosecutors across the district received recognition for their coordinated community response to domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking crimes.

“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured."

Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorneys’ 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. Attorneys’ offices organize events to honor the victims and advocates, as well as bring awareness to services available to victims of crime. This year’s observance takes place April 7-13, with the theme: Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.

“We are so proud to take part in National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to honor the victims of crime and recognize those who provide services to victims,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “The focus of this year’s ceremony is violence against women, including domestic violence, an insidious crime at every level.  We strive every day with a sense of urgency to fight for the victims of crime and against the perpetrators of crime.  We should never become so calloused from the pursuit of our daily obligations that we forget the purpose of our work – fighting for and being the voice of the victims of crime.”

“In conjunction with the ceremony, I rolled out Project HOPE (Healing, Officers, Prosecutors, Empowerment), a joint federal and local effort to combat violence against women. Project HOPE crystallizes my absolute commitment to rooting out violence against women in every form.”

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 12, 2019, 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 www.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, SDWV, Victim Witness Program at (304) 345-2200.

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