FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? OVC
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2001??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? 202/307-0703
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT RECOGNIZES
THOSE WHO ASSIST AMERICA?S CRIME VICTIMS
WASHINGTON, DC ? Attorney General John
Ashcroft today marked the sixth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing by
honoring two individuals and three organizations with the Crime Victim Service
Award, the highest federal award for victim advocacy.? The awardees are from Alaska, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.? Kentucky First
Lady Judi Patton and Oregon Judge John Collins received special leadership
awards.? Susan Lawrence, a former
Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) employee, received a
posthumous award for professional innovation.
Ashcroft also recognized federal employees
whose extraordinary efforts increased restitution to federal crime victims and
deposits into the Crime Victims Fund, which supports millions of crime victims
across the nation.? One individual and
five teams of U.S. Attorney and FBI personnel from Florida, Idaho, Illinois,
Maryland, Missouri and Wisconsin received the Crime Victims Fund Award.
?The dedication and service of the people we honor today, as well as
countless other victim advocates, are making a difference in the lives of crime
victims across the nation,? said
Ashcroft.? ?Through their
efforts, we are able to ensure that crime victims are never forgotten as we
pursue justice.?
Ashcroft presented the awards at a ceremony
on Capitol Hill, which was part of the
Justice Department?s Office for Victims of Crime?s 21st
federal observance of National Crime Victims? Rights Week (NCVRW).? Held this year from April 22nd to
April 28th, NCVRW gives communities across the country an
opportunity to organize and hold observances, candlelight vigils, rallies and
other events in honor and support of crime victims and their rights.
Service award recipients included two women
who have dedicated the past 25 years to addressing domestic violence and child
abuse.? Susan Kelly-Dreiss of
Pennsylvania, who grew up in a violent home, helped pass the state?s first
domestic violence law and establish the nation?s first domestic violence
coalition.? Dilsa Rohan Capdeville
established the first child abuse task force in the U.S. Virgin Islands and
advocated for legislation that makes child abuse a felony in the territory.
Among the organizations receiving federal
recognition is the Center for Victims of
Torture in Minneapolis, the first treatment center in the United States
for survivors of politically motivated torture.? The Alaska Native Women Sexual Assault Committee, formed to
address the high incidence of assaults of Native women in the Anchorage area, was
recognized for its efforts that have helped reduce the number of reported
assaults by 20 percent.? The Children?s
Assessment Center in Houston, Texas, the largest child advocacy center in the
nation, has handled nearly 10,000 child abuse cases and served over 38,000
children.?
Fund award recipients included Canella
Henrichs, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who
worked with the district court to amend orders for fines and restitution and
track down victims owed restitution in old cases.? The U.S. Attorney?s Office for
the District of Idaho?s Financial Litigation Unit used innovative asset
location measures in a landmark case involving $6 million in fines and
restitution to obtain restitution for a permanently disabled victim of an
environmental crime.?
?I am honored to recognize the extraordinary
work of these civil servants who have shown remarkable diligence and ingenuity
in pursuing criminal offenders to secure criminal fines and have demonstrated
the value of collaboration,? said Ashcroft.
?Their efforts ensure criminals do, in fact, pay what is rightfully owed
to victims.?
The Attorney General also recognized the U.S.
Attorney?s Office for the Western District of Missouri, which handled large
case loads (more than 850 cases per specialist) and provided training to
criminal justice participants, including district court judges.? The District of Maryland?s U.S. Attorney?s
Office more than doubled its criminal debt collections from $3 million to $7
million in FY 2000, and the U.S. Attorney?s Office for the Southern District of
Florida more than doubled its FY 2000 criminal recovery, from $12 million to
$27.5 million.? An FBI Special Agent and
Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin secured more than
$99,000 in restitution and fines from a defendant who willfully failed to pay a
criminal fine.
OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund.? Criminal fines collected by U.S. Attorneys,
the U.S. Courts, the U.S. Military and Bureau of Prisons are deposited into the
fund.? The fund is supported solely by
these fines, which are paid by federal criminal offenders.???????? ???????????
OVC is the federal government?s chief
advocate for crime victims and their families.
In addition to funding state victim compensation and victim assistance
programs, OVC
trains those who work with victims and develops projects to enhance
victims? rights and services.? ??????????? Further information about the Crime
Victim Service Awardees and additional information about OVC, its programs and
resources are available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc, from the OJP home page
at www.ojp.usdoj.gov, or by calling the OVC Resource Center at
800/627-6872.
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OVC01075
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contact: Linda Mansour on 202/616-3534