PHOENIX – Arizona will mark the 34th annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with a luncheon and awards presentation event today at 11:30 a.m. at The Duce restaurant in Phoenix. State leaders and representatives from law enforcement agencies will honor and recognize individuals who advocate on behalf of crime victims and their families.
Background: President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first national “Crime Victims Week” in April of 1981 to recognize the importance of giving crime victims a voice in the criminal justice process and to educate Americans about the devastating impacts of crime on families and communities. Three years later, Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) which secured legal rights, protections, and services for victims of crime. In 1988, Arizona became one of the first states to introduce a constitutional amendment guaranteeing specific rights for crime victims including the right to be present at criminal proceedings, to be heard in court, and to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.
Media interested in covering this event are requested to arrive no later than 11:15am to set up.
| WHO: | Governor Doug Ducey
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery
Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Colonel Frank Milstead
Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan
Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections Director Dona Marie Markley
Keynote speakers: Childhelp Co-Founders Sara O’Meara & Yvonne Fedderson |
| WHAT: | Luncheon and awards ceremony to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week |
| WHEN: | Monday, April 11, 2016, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
| WHERE: | The Duce, 525 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004 |
| WHY: | To mark the annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week |
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