By: LINDSEY O’NEILL, ESQ.
Have you been the victim of a crime? Has someone close to you been victimized by a criminal act? It is often a traumatizing event, whether the crime was violent or whether your most precious possessions have been stolen. Each year, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), sponsors National Crime Victims Week. This year, the theme is “Justice for Victims. Justice for All.” It is held April 13 – 19, 2008.
The OVC was established by the 1984 Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) to oversee a variety of programs to assist victims of crime and provide them with compensation and resources to heal. OVC provides funding for crime victims and helps to fund state victims assistance and compensation programs as well.
For more information you can visit the Office for Victims of Crime webpage. See also, the OVC Fact Sheet on What You Can Do If You Are A Victim of Crime.
If you have been victimized by a crime, you may have a variety of legal options including pursuing criminal charges as well as a civil lawsuit against the violator. Contact an attorney in your area to find out more information.
I wonder how many people have been a victim of crime and have no idea? Something stolen, bogus charges, property damage, slander. The fact that our culture is so lenient and forgiving might be at the heart of the propensity for petty crime any given moment by any given person.
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So few people, plaintiffs and defendants, really understand their rights and the specifics of the law when it comes to criminal cases. Women are very much at risk to a variety of violent crimes, since they can be often be targeted. Attorneys should do more to work with their clients on preventing crimes rather than simply dealing with the aftermath.
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