2003 National Crime Victims' Rights Week
Award Recipients

The honorees received special recognition during the awards ceremony hosted April 12, 2003, by the Office for Victims of Crime to honor victim advocates, organizations, and programs in the field of victim services. To view more details, click on any photo for an enlarged view.

Special Courage Award

Photo of Kimberly Black Wisseman accompanied by John Gillis and Deborah Daniels.

Kimberly Black Wisseman has quadriplegia, a severe physical disability, as a result of a car accident that occurred when she was a young woman. Over the course of the next several years, she experienced horrific abuse at the hands of her boyfriend/caregiver. She was raped, beaten, and virtually imprisoned. Ms. Wisseman feared that her abuser would kill her. She pursued his arrest and prosecution through the proper authorities and testified at trial against him.

Ms. Wisseman was determined to use her voice, her survival, and the power of her story as a source of inspiration, enlightenment, and comfort to others. She pursue her advanced education with the goal of providing services for other crime victims with disabilities. Today Ms. Wisseman, LMSW, is a domestic violence counselor at SafePlace. She works primarily with individuals with disabilities who have experienced family or caregiver violence. She annually counsels 35 to 40 abuse survivors with physical, cognitive, sensory, psychiatric, or multiple disabilities. She offers one-on-one counseling, safety planning, court accompaniment, advocacy, and support group services. Ms. Wisseman also shares her personal story of survival with thousands of people each year.

Volunteer for Victims Award

Photo of Sister M. Marcian Deisenroth accompanied by John Gillis and Deborah Daniels.

Sister Marcian, a retired hospital administrator, is a volunteer advocate who assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault when they are brought to a hospital. She provides these victims with information, support, and referrals. She is on call day and night to travel to any one of the three local hospitals in two counties, taking many calls in the middle of the night. Sister Marcian is also on the Board of Directors of Mutual Ground, a nonprofit agency that serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Kendall and southern Kane Counties in Illinois. Mutual Ground operates a shelter and provides counseling, medical care and advocacy, 24-hour crisis intervention, legal advocacy, referrals, and transitional housing services. Sister Marcian uses her experiences and insights to help Mutual Ground volunteers and others understand how agencies can come together to help victims.

Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services

Photo of Mel S. Johnson accompanied by John Gillis and Deborah Daniels.

Mr. Johnson has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin for more than 22 years. As a civil attorney responsible for supervision of the Financial Litigation Unit (FLU), Mr. Johnson has assisted countless victims through his innovative efforts to collect restitution. The Eastern District of Wisconsin recovered 35 percent more in restitution during a 6-month period of fiscal year 2002 than it did over the same period of fiscal year 2001. Several other U.S. Attorney's Offices are now seeking Mr. Johnson's advice and assistance in creating a similar collection system, and these new procedures could have nationwide implications in the area of criminal debt collection. Mr. Johnson has also raised his office's awareness of the objectives of the Crime Victims Fund. He has worked hard to ensure that prosecutors appreciate the importance of devoting their time to victims' rights, including the right to be notified of the status of their cases, to be active participants in their cases, and to receive full restitution.

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