PIERRE, S.D –Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that April 10- 16th is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme, “Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past”—evokes victims’ past struggles and our nation’s duty to help them rebuild stronger lives.
For victims, reshaping the future means confronting many challenges. After a crime, victims need to know what rights and resources they can count on. They may need funds to bury a loved one or pay medical bills. They may want information on the criminal justice process, their rights to be present or heard in court, and to be notified about court proceedings and offenders’ whereabouts. Yet many victims do not find the help they need.
“Victims of crime have basic rights afforded to them by our criminal justice system,” said Jackley. “We need to honor those rights and commend those who have fought so hard to give victims a voice.”
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week will begin in Washington, DC, at the Department of Justice’s annual national Candlelight Observance Ceremony on April 7, 2011, and the Office for Victims of Crime’s Service Awards ceremony, April 8, 2011, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.
For additional information about national resources available to help crime victims, visit the website developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime www.ncvc.org. The Attorney General’s Victim Witness Program provides victim services in rural areas in South Dakota and for more information about this program visit http://dci.sd.gov/.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, April 08, 2011
CONTACT: Sara Rabern, (605) 773-3215
