Honoring Crime Victims’ Rights Week

Honoring Crime Victims Rights’ Week

The 1970’s were a volatile time in America. The Vietnam War was still raging with constant protests and the Equal Rights Amendment was struggling to get ratified (and is still not ratified to date). In the meantime, victims of crime had very few if any rights. In 1972, the first three victim assistance programs were created in St. Louis, San Francisco and Washington, DC to begin to address the unique needs of crime victims. In 1976, Harris County District Attorney Carol S. Vance was serving as President of the National District Attorneys Association when he heard about a program in California to help victims through the difficult experience of the criminal justice process. He decided that Harris County needed a similar program, so he tasked Suzanne McDaniel to establish the first such program in Texas. In 1977 the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Division was created to provide information, assistance, and support for victims of crime in Harris County.

Harris County was ahead of the times because it was not until 1982, that President Ronald Reagan created the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime. The report from the Task Forces had sixty-eight recommendations in five different areas including proposed Executive and Legislative action at both the Federal and State levels, proposed Federal action, proposed action for criminal justice system agencies, proposed actions for organizations and a proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution. As a result, the United States Congress passed the Federal Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982. This act changed the status of a crime victim from a person who merely identifies the perpetrator and testifies in court to the role of an active participant in the criminal justice process. Victims were allowed to provide victim impact statements to the court describing their experiences and costs of being a crime victim and guaranteeing the right to claim restitution. Two years later the US Congress enacted the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) that created a matching grant program to encourage states to create victim compensation funds and local programs to assist crime victims. Even though the Victim Witness Division had been established in 1977, it was not until the 69th Texas Legislature in 1985 passed HB 235 adding Chapter 56 to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Rights of Crime Victims. And in 1989 Texans voted to add the Victims Bill of Rights to the Texas Constitution (Article 1, Section 30). Over the years the Division has grown and changed its name to the Victim Services Division. In 2017, the Division applied for and received a grant to go from six Victim Assistance Coordinators to twenty-one! Their expansion continued and they now have twenty-five Victim Assistance Coordinators who reach out to over 20,000 victims of crime each year! How the Victim Services Division helps crime victims in Harris County: Basic Services

• Orientation to the criminal justice system and process;
• Assistance to victims who must testify;
• Crisis Intervention
•  Information about the individual case status and outcome;
• Assistance with compensation;
• Facilitating victim participation in the criminal justice system;
• Information about and referral to community services;
• Education and training for the general public, justice system personnel, and local service providers; and
• Post disposition/conviction services

During Prosecution

• Ensure that victims are afforded their rights.
• Provide a victim impact statement, as well as assistance completing forms.
• Provide notification of prosecution case status.
• Provide court accompaniment
• Prepare victims for the courtroom
• Provide referrals to social services, counseling, and other criminal justice agencies.
• Provide follow-up services, including reassurance, supportive listening, and options for solving problems related to the crime’s impact.
• Provide a secure waiting area for victims now known as the Suzanne McDaniel Victim Waiting Room.
• Assist with questions and concerns about the Crime Victims’ Compensation program.
• Provide assistance with victim appearance coordination.

Post-Conviction

• Provide victims with information about their right to address the court after sentencing.
• Assist with the timely delivery of victim input to institutional corrections and paroling authorities.
• Assist with parole notification of an inmate’s change of status within the Department of Criminal Justice.
• Arrange for advocacy for victims at parole hearings.
• Provide appellate notification to victims.

For a complete list of Victims’ Rights in Texas you can click on this link from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.