(April 17, 2012)

Centenary advocates for crime victims' rights

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary's Department of Public Safety along with the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office and other local organizations will observe Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 22-28. The Week is a time to honor crime victims and our nation's progress in advancing their rights. Centenary will host both a crime victims' informational fair and proclamation ceremony on April 24. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

This year's theme, "Extending the Vision: Reaching Every Victim," celebrates the vision behind our nation's progress in advancing victims' rights and the ideal of serving all victims of crime.

"Our commitment to 'extend the vision' and 'reach every victim' will overcome every challenge that confronts us now," said Joye E. Frost, Acting Director, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. "The vision, determination, and passion for justice that inspired our history will help us transform the future for every victim of crime."

Since the 1980s, every state has enacted victims' rights laws, and 32 states have constitutional victims' rights amendments. All states have victim compensation funds, and more than 10,000 victim service agencies have been established throughout the country. Yet more than 50 percent of crimes still go unreported, and fewer than 20 percent of victims receive necessary services.

National Crime Victims' Week will begin in Washington, DC, at the Department of Justice's annual Attorney General's National Crime Victims' Service Awards Ceremony, April 20. The Ceremony recognizes outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.

For additional information on National Crime Victims' Rights Week and how to help victims in your community, please contact Deputy Pamela Dixon, Community Programs at 318.681.0870.