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2008 National Crime Victims' Rights Week The honorees received special recognition during the awards ceremony hosted April 11, 2008, 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 a photo for an enlarged view.
Treasury Offset Program The Treasury Offset Program (TOP) is a centralized debt collection program that helps agencies collect delinquent debts owed to the Federal Government. To do this, TOP matches delinquent debtor files against outstanding debts. When a match occurs, TOP intercepts funds from sources such as federal tax return refunds, annual annuities, and social security payments to offset any outstanding debt owed to the Federal Government. Until 2003, TOP was not available for the offset of criminal debts; however, with a small investment of $50,000 from OVC, U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the Nation now have the insurance policy they need to access TOP to collect criminal debt. Within each U.S. Attorney's Office, the Financial Litigation Unit now has access to TOP for the purposes of enforcing and collecting criminal debts owed to the United States Government and nongovernment victims of federal crime. Since 2003, the interception of funds through TOP to pay outstanding criminal debts has resulted in an enormous amount of restitution paid to crime victims. Since TOP has been available to the Financial Litigation Units, collections have totaled more than $7.9 million. In 2007 alone, TOP recovered $5.2 million for fines to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and to pay restitution owed to crime victims. TOP has proved to be a valuable enforcement tool for criminal monetary judgments. The Treasury Offset Program was nominated by OVC.
Yvette Dione Cade On October 10, 2005, Yvette Cade's ex-husband arrived at her work site, doused her with gasoline, and set her on fire. Yvette suffered third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body. In the years that followed, she has endured multiple surgeries, and will continue to need surgeries to cope with the physical consequences of this horrific crime, likely for a lifetime. As if this courage wasn't enough, Yvette also has become a powerful symbol of hope and survival, and a vocal advocate for domestic violence victims. She offers hope to battered women who are struggling to leave violent relationships; she offers advice and guidance on how to stay safe during and after leaving these relationships; and she offers herself as a survivor and positive example of someone who is making a difference in our world on behalf of all battered women. Yvette and her family have used her personal tragedy to shed light on domestic violence nationwide, sending a strong message about the importance of family support in the wake of a violent tragedy. Her victimization resulted in significant changes in the judicial system in Maryland—as well as other states that followed Maryland's lead—regarding the enforcement of protection orders and the responsibility of courts to take the crime of domestic violence seriously. These protections will help to prevent further crimes like the tragedy that happened to Yvette. In 2007, Yvette was honored by the U.S. Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus for her leadership as a survivor who is dedicated to helping other victims of crime. Countless survivors and advocates have been directly touched by her story, her will to survive, and her willingness to support other victims of domestic violence. She is a survivor who is making a difference in our world. Yvette Cade was nominated by Anne K. Seymour, Consultant and Victim Advocate.
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