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2004 NOVA Newsl. 1 (2004)

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Volume  21, Number  1 (of 4 Issues), 2004


National Victim Rights Week/2004:


             Victim Rights - America's Values


    The  theme of Natmiodl Vitim Rihs
W eek/004   speaks bt the intdaumentl of
w~ hat te vuicti ihts' mlovemnent asb ien
advocating  since its inceptio11 that all of
governmlent sdeaings  wilhucrllelvitms
should displa  a dcent  rIgard 1fo thos
haried  by Lime, and that it lustice pro
ceenigsbe  open)Jandir tolRvitmsas well
as the Accused, These values   dcecy,
opelnness, ad   lairnes - are as basic to
Amrica' society   as any loe culd naie.
     Victim adlocates who have  focused
their enermg in e  t year onL gettin suc
x alues enshrlined inl ulntiallla c harter.
the   C   kS. Contiution, have reason to re
doutble their 4port this Apil. For two of
the mlost respected instittional voces in
the  ciil justie ssle  - hie  1 Fratelrnal
Order  of Polic and the Nailonal Distrit
Attrneys  Ass oiation - have each for the
frst time proclined suppot for the crim
vitims'11 ights amenldlmnt,
     I cadnot overtate the impotance of
these endorsements,   said Steve Twist,
NOVA's Vice   President for Public Policy
and Chief of the National Victms Constitu-
tional Amendment Project (NVCAP.  A nd
the tniing could not be more opportune -
our lead sponsors  Senators Jon KI  and
Dianne  Feinsein, hope for a floor debateon
their resolution, SI Res 1,in April.
     I encoulage eione   who  supports
 Iu  cauIs to coiltact theI two Senator to
 sipport the ICslution
     All you need to do , he added, is go
 to the ww wNVCAPory Web site to see
 how you  Senators stand on the issue, and
 how to ontat them urginTi thei support -
 or thanking them or it
     Ie concluded. Now  i theine. With
 the ealer support of the nation's Attor
 neys (enoc,   the Intemational Asocia-
 tion of Chiefs of Pole, and so mnany I-
 timsn  gnops, we are now poised to str


winning the campaign -if we all make our
voices heard.

The NDAAResolution
    Whereas,  the  local prosecutors ot
America are responsible for the vast major-
ity of criminal prosecutions in the United
States; and
     Wl   Wes as posecutor s our tunda-
mental rotle is to pursule justice and protett
the public safety by holding crimial of
lnders  acountable for rheir violations of
the law; and
     Wheras, in carryingoui thesespon
sibilities, prosetor represent bolh the
interests of the public and the individual
itiml  of cim1inal activity:andl
    heUreas   now as 1i the pa(, prosec u-
tors throughout America are in the fore-
frontofinitiativesh toecg1/, x1pand and
protetth  r0 ights of ilctinms of crille:
    \Now,   t/erefore be it resolved, that the
National Ditict  Attoineys A.satilon
represelhiny Amima's   prosecutors, sup-
ports the adoption of SI Res  1 (and its
cnmpanion  in the I'S House of Represen-
tativ es) the Crimte Viclinms Rights Amend
ment to the Unted States Constitultionl and
call upon the Congres to pass the anend-
ment and the States to ratily it,

The FOP  Resolution
     A Resolution to the Congres of the
United  States urging Congress to enact
the proposed aiendmlent to the Consitu-
tion of he United States that woulk protect
the rilghl ol crine vi1tis.
     Whera     the rghts of iInis of vio-
et   ci111 bng capable of protettln w ith-
out deinlg   the constitutional ights of
those acusled of victimiznng them, should
not be denied, and
     Wherea   a victim of a violent criml
should  have the iht  to reasonable and


timely notice of any public proceeding in-
volving the crime and of any  release or
escape of the accused, and
     Whrat,   a victin has the right to not
be excluded fiom such public proceeding
and to be reasonably heard at public re-
lease plea, sentencing, reprieve, and par-
don proaeedings  and
     Whereas  a victim has the right to ad-
judicative decisions that duly consder the
v itili' swafty interest in avoiding ulnea-
sonabledelay, and]ust andtiimely clainisto
estitution Iraom the oftender, and
     Wherea   the   frights should not be
restcted  exept  when and  it the degree
dictated bi a subtantial interest in public
safety or the adiniistratin fimiilnajus-
tite or by compelling necessit
    Now   theeorn   by t a rsolved by th
Grand  Lodge  1atenno   Ordr  of/ Polie
that the Senate and the House of Represen-
tatlive o the United States are requested to
adopt an amendment  to the Consitutioll of
the UnIted States identicd to or substan-
tially modeled on Senate Jont Resolution I
of the 10, Congres wthalwouldprotect the
igthts of crime victims,
     Be tA further rolved that copies of
this resolution be dispatched to the Presi-
dent of the United States, to the Pr esident of
the United States Senate, to the Speaker of
the  nited States House of Representaines,
and to each United States Senatr