Department of Justice Commemorates National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

Memphis, TN – The Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime (“OVC”) and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, will join communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and celebrating victims’ rights, protections, and services. This year’s observance takes place April 23-29, 2023, and features the theme, “Survivor voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change.”

Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorney’s Offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2021, there were more than 4.6 million violent victimizations and 11.7 million property crimes.

The United States Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and right of victims of crime.

Here, in the Western District of Tennessee, we have a dedicated Victim Witness Coordinator who supports federal crime victims by providing victims with essential services, including referrals to counseling, securing temporary housing, assisting with access to victim’s compensation funds, and accompanying victims to court proceedings to provide support and guidance. These services provide victims with tools to reshape their futures.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of the art knowledge and practices across the United States, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime-fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter partnerships with these officers. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week resources can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.

More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

###

For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at (901) 544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow @ WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.