'Justice For All' Means Respecting The Rights Of
& Having Compassion For All Crime Victims

The presumption of innocence—the fact defendants needn’t prove they did not commit a crime—is paramount in our legal system. But we can’t truly have “justice for all” unless we assure victims’ rights are also respected and protected and legally guaranteed.

Thanks to so-called “procedural shows” on TV, just about everyone can recite the Miranda Rights, a person's rights when being arrested to remain silent, to have an attorney, etc.

Treating Each & Every Victim With Compassion

Less well known are the legal rights afforded crime victims. In the last half-century, state legislatures across the nation have passed tens of thousands of victims’ rights bills. The Missouri State Attorney General’s Office has produced a 32-page guide about the rights assured to crime victims under an amendment to the state Constitution and laws in effect since 1993.

I’ve listed the crime victims’ “general rights in Missouri” on our COMBAT website. It’s vital that we have these laws on the books to guarantee crime victims are always among the “all” for whom we seek justice. Just as essential as following the letter of the law, I believe, is sincerely treating each and every victim with compassion. 

A Year-Round Commitment

I know that is why the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has a Victim Advocate Unit dedicated to not only guiding a victim through the legal proceedings but also providing emotional support. That’s why the Prosecutor’s Office and one of our COMBAT-funded agencies, the AdHoc Group Against Crime, have teamed up on the Caring For Crime Survivors program. True to its name, this program is all about caring, offering help with basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, even cleaning up the crime scene—if the scene happens to be where the survivor lives, which is often the case—and repairing damage, such as a broken door or windows.
  
While this week has been designated National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, our commitment to victims must be year-round… 24/7… every year… and—I will repeat myself—for each and every victim.

Doing Their Best To Continue Supporting Crime Victims During The Pandemic

They are doing all they can to continue reaching out to help crime victims, despite social distancing.

KC Mothers In Charge Founder Rosilyn Temple would—normally—be among the first to arrive at a Kansas City homicide scene, soon after the police, to offer crisis counseling  and other support for the victim’s surviving family members. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has forced Mothers In Charge and the AdHoc Group Against Crime to do the best they can, virtually and over the phone, to continue providing crime victim support services from a safe distance.

» MORE