Justice For All Act Of 2004 - 1071 Words

Throughout every state and county across the United States there are various means for offering assistance to victims of crime. Each municipality has its own victim advocacy program. For smaller areas such as rural counties they use the next organizational level up as their victim advocates. For the purpose of this paper I sat down with Ms. Mari Dennis of the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). Ms. Dennis is employed as the Victim Advocacy Unit Coordinator and is embedded within the Investigations division of the department. CSPD employs four staff victim advocates and around 35 volunteer advocates. Legislation Discussion The Justice for All Act of 2004 was established in order to protect the rights of those victimized by crime.†¦show more content†¦Colorado Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) At the state level, Colorado has written and enacted its own Victims’ Rights Act ahead of federal mandates previously discussed. In the early 1990’s Colorado passed an amendment to the state constitution to provide crime victims with certain rights. The driving force behind the amendment was to ensure the victim in a crime has their rights pursued and enforced in the same manner as those of criminal defendants. It is necessary to understand when a crime occurs; victims’ lives and those of their families are forever changed through no fault of their own. Focus While it is never fun to be the victim of a crime, there are only certain offenses covered under the CVRA. Back in 2008 I was a victim when my truck was broken into and a couple of things were stolen. That type of crime would not have been covered under a state crime victim’s rights act. The types of crimes covered are those of a personal nature. Crimes like murder, assault and bias-motivated crimes affect individuals on a much deeper level than breaking into a vehicle. For some, life will never be the same after having been victimized. This is where VA’s step in to offer whatever help they can be. Responsibilities Law enforcement has a duty to victims the same way the police have a responsibility to work a case from start to finish. Each LE organization has