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victims rights

11
Apr
When Criminals Became the “Victims”: The Quiet Defunding of Crime Victims' Services

When Criminals Became the “Victims”: The Quiet Defunding of Crime Victims' Services

The very funding that was created to help real crime victims is disappearing, and it is being deliberately redirected to organizations that primarily serve defendants, offenders, and convicted criminals.
2 min read
03
Apr
It’s Time to Rebalance the Scales: My 24-Year Plea for Real Support for Crime Survivors

It’s Time to Rebalance the Scales: My 24-Year Plea for Real Support for Crime Survivors

The man who attacked me had rights. He had a lawyer. He had access to every procedural safeguard our justice system could offer. And I? I had a chair to sit in, a pack of tissues, and the crushing realization that the system designed to deliver justice had almost nothing for me.
4 min read
03
Apr
The Voices of Victims are in Danger of Being Eliminated from Washington State's Criminal Justice System

The Voices of Victims are in Danger of Being Eliminated from Washington State's Criminal Justice System

What was once a system designed to ensure justice for victims of crime has become a system focused on protecting the accused.  What was once a system of accountability has become a system of irresponsibility. No longer do victims of crime feel safe.
2 min read
27
Mar
The Promise and the Failure: Reforming Victims’ Rights in Oklahoma and Beyond

The Promise and the Failure: Reforming Victims’ Rights in Oklahoma and Beyond

On paper, these rights appear robust, yet Thoreson argues they remain largely theoretical because the system was never designed with victims at its center.
2 min read
25
Mar
Washington State's Proposed "Willful Non-Appearance" Trap Will Re-Victimize Crime Survivors

Washington State's Proposed "Willful Non-Appearance" Trap Will Re-Victimize Crime Survivors

As a victim advocate who has stood beside survivors of domestic violence, assault, robbery, and other crimes, I have watched bail reform and expanded soft on crime pretrial release policies...
3 min read
23
Mar
Clearing the Confusion: What Is a Crime Survivor? Understanding the Many Faces of Victimization

Clearing the Confusion: What Is a Crime Survivor? Understanding the Many Faces of Victimization

With so much talk in the news about crime victims and the ongoing debates around the soft on crime policies of bail reform and cashless bail, there is widespread confusion about who truly qualifies as a crime survivor...
2 min read
19
Mar
California's Elder Parole Law is a Slap in the Face to Crime Victims

California's Elder Parole Law is a Slap in the Face to Crime Victims

Israel Ceja, convicted in 2000 of 20 counts of forcible rape, assault with a firearm, child endangerment, and lewd acts against his then-11-year-old stepdaughter, received a recommendation for early parole on January 29, 2026, from a two-commissioner panel under California’s Elder Parole Law
2 min read
16
Mar
Soft on Crime Policies Exposed: Victim Advocacy Groups Push Back Against Prison Policy Initiative’s Report

Soft on Crime Policies Exposed: Victim Advocacy Groups Push Back Against Prison Policy Initiative’s Report

The Prison Policy Initiative’s latest report, “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie in 2026” reignites the public debate on criminal justice and PPI’s ongoing war on crime victims.
2 min read
13
Mar
The Bail Project: Committed to Making our Communities Less Safe One Victim at a Time

The Bail Project: Committed to Making our Communities Less Safe One Victim at a Time

The Bail Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating cash bail, has invested over $91 million since its inception (as reported in their 2024 annual report) to help more than 35,000 individuals secure release while awaiting trial.
4 min read