NAPOLITANO, GODDARD URGE MORE SUPPORT FOR CRIME VICTIMS

Photos: 1 | 2 (thumbnails, captions below)

By NORA AVERY-PAGE
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX (Monday, April 14) _ The last thing a victim of a violent crime needs is a difficult and confusing walk through the criminal justice system, Gov. Janet Napolitano said Monday.

“It’s important that we do take some time to think about what that means and how the justice system needs to reflect the interest of victims and how we as a society need to do the same,” Napolitano said at an event launching Arizona Victims’ Rights Week.

Napolitano, joined by Attorney General Terry Goddard, said the week’s theme is “Justice for Victims, Justice for All.”

To drive home their point, they displayed dozens of pairs of shoes illustrating the walk faced by crime victims. The shoes carried tags with facts about crime in Arizona, one of them noting that there were more than 30,000 violent crimes reported in 2006.

“It’s our job to make sure that this process is as painless as possible,” Goddard said. “At some time in our lives, we are likely to be victims of crime and we need to be sympathetic.”

Napolitano presented a $72,000 check to the Arizona Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund, which provides money to people hurt by violent crimes. She presented the 2008 Triumph Over Tragedy award to Gail Leland, a Tucsonan who founded the National Coalition of Homicide Survivors after her son was murdered in 1981.

“People don’t really recognize the toll that crime victimization has on victims and what they go through,” Leland said.

Dan Levey, adviser to the governor for victims, said that the work he does is in honor of his brother, who was murdered in 1996.

“Victims have the opportunity to see that state leaders are aware of issues,” Levey said. “I want to be that voice on the other end of the phone saying, you know, we care. Crime is not a one hour TV show, or a book with a beginning and an end. It’s a ripple effect that can last a lifetime.”

^___=

PHOTOS: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images and download


CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-VICTIMS’ RIGHTS: Attorney General Terry Goddard speaks Monday, April 14, 2008, in Phoenix at an event marking the start of Arizona Victims’ Rights Week. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Nora Avery-Page)

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-VICTIMS’ RIGHTS: Gov. Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard used shoes during an event Monday, April 14, 2008, to illustrate their point that victims should have an easier walk through the justice system. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Nora Avery-Page)