The Attorney General’s office is commemorating National Crime Victims Week and Victim Rights Week April 10, 2011 through April 16, 2011. Our office is committed to advancing the rights of victims. We serve and support victims and witnesses in a variety of ways, including advocacy, financial and resource assistance, and achieving policies that positively impact victims lives.
Staff at the Attorney General’s Office assist victims in understanding their rights as a crime victim, determining what expenses may be eligible for compensation, and assessing what other resources are available to assist them. Additionally, we often assign advocates to work with victims throughout investigations and prosecutions.
Using funds obtained from perpetrators, the Attorney General’s Office can often provide financial assistance to eligible victims of violent crime or their families. This assistance may be used for mental health counseling, other medical care, funeral and burial costs, and other expenses. Last year, the Office successfully advocated for reforms and updates to the guidelines around victim compensation which has made financial assistance available for a wider range of needs, including crime scene cleanup and security measures such as changing locks on a door.
The Office also supports policies and legislation which support victims, including our proposed Human Trafficking bill and Melissa’s Bill. Additionally, we support this legislation designed to ensure that murder victims families are not re-victimized by the perpetrator while grieving.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of violent crime, please contact us for further assistance at (617) 963-2160, or learn more online.
Staff from the Attorney General’s office will attend and participate in the 2011 Massachusetts Victim Rights Event Tuesday, April 12th, entitled: Shaping the Future Honoring the Past: Seeking Healing Through Justice. This annual event is open to the public and is attended by hundreds of crime victims, survivors, criminal justice and victim services professionals, legislators and agency leaders from across the Commonwealth. To register for the 2011 Victim Rights Event, please visit the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) website at www.mass.gov/mova or call MOVA at 617-727-5200.
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