New this year!

For the first time ever NCVLI will host a pre-conference skill building seminar exclusively designed for attorneys and law students!  The session, Pretrial Litigation of Victims’ Rights in Oregon, will be an intensive 3.5 hour course that will provide an overview of key victims’ rights that arise pretrial under Oregon law, and arm the practitioner with skills necessary to effectively represent the victim at these critical junctures.  The training will be a practice-based approach to securing protection of a victim’s rights pretrial through collaboration with prosecution and other criminal justice professionals when possible and through motion practice and appeal when necessary.  Whether the pretrial issue is notice of hearings, imposition of release conditions, a subpoena for victim records, or rape shield, this seminar will ensure you know how to effectively protect your victim-client’s rights.

The pre-conference institute will be held on Monday, June 13th, 2011, from 8:30am – 12:00pm at The Benson Hotel (same venue as the Conference), and is exclusively for attorneys and law students.  There is no charge for admission to the event IF you have registered and paid to attend the NCVLI Crime Victim Law Conference, otherwise the cost is $15 per person.  Registration is limited to 25 individuals, first-come, first-served.

NCVLI would like to acknowledge and thank all of our wonderful Conference co-sponsors for their support:

• Lewis & Clark Law School;
• Washington Coalition of Crime Victim Advocates;
• Oregon Department of Justice;
• National Organization of Victim Assistance;
• National Organization of Parents Of Murdered Children, Inc.;
• Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force; and
• Crime Victim Assistance Network.

 Join NCVLI on the first day of the Conference, June 14, 2011, to celebrate another year of hard work on behalf of victims. Whether you are attending the Conference or can only come out for the evening, join NCVLI to relax, have fun, and network with colleagues from across the nation while enjoying live music, food, and drinks. More information will be available soon.

NCVLI will facilitate a panel presentation at the Conference featuring three law students, each presenting a research paper from their recent coursework that identifies an issue now challenging the victims’ rights field and proposes litigation and policy responses to overcome the challenge.  Current law students or recent graduates (within the last 12 months) are invited to apply.  The deadline has been extended through Monday, May 16th.  Download the application form to learn more. 

Steven Kelly Receives 2011 Legal Advocacy Award

The Legal Advocacy Award recognizes crime victims’ rights attorneys who have dedicated and committed their time to representing victims of crime in the criminal justice system.  The awards are presented each year at NCVLI’s Crime Victim Law Conference.

About Steven Kelly

Steve Kelly became involved in the struggle for crime victims’ rights shortly after his older sister was murdered in Maryland in 1988, when he was 14. He helped to create a curriculum on victim sensitivity and to found a support group for young survivors of homicide while he was in high school. After college, he went to work for the Stephanie Roper Foundation and helped start a first of its kind program to match crime victims with pro bono attorneys. As a protégé of victims’ rights icon Roberta Roper, Steve has helped pass numerous state and federal victim’s rights laws. Steve continued his work with the Roper Foundation as he attended Georgetown law school at night.

Upon graduation from law school, Steve returned to his native Baltimore to practice law. As an attorney, Steve specializes in representing victims of crime in civil cases and he maintains an active pro bono practice representing a wide range of crime victims in criminal cases in state and federal courts throughout the country. Steve serves on the Maryland Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and regularly trains crime victim advocates and other criminal justice professionals on the interplay between criminal and civil law, especially as it pertains to restitution. Steve is married with three children.

Past Recipients of the Legal Advocacy Award Include:
o Wendy Murphy (2001)
o Lyn Schollett (2002)
o Cynthia Lee Carter (2003)
o Jay Howell (2003)
o Richard D. Pompelio (2004)
o Paul Cassell (2005)
o Cynthia Hora (2006)
o Jamie Mills (2007)
o Steven J. Twist (2008)
o Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project (2009)
o Heidi Nestel (2010)

NCVLI Presents Anne Seymour with the 2011 Victim Advocacy Award

The Victim Advocacy Award recognizes advocates who have dedicated their time working towards policy and/or systemic change in the criminal justice system.  The awards are presented each year at NCVLI’s Crime Victim Law Conference.

About Anne Seymour

Anne Seymour has 26 years of experience as a national victim advocate. She is a Co-founder of and Senior Advisor to the Washington, D.C.-based national nonprofit Justice Solutions; Editor of The Crime Victims’ Report; and Consultant to the Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project. She began her career as the Director of Public Affairs for the National Office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and, from 1985 to 1993, as co-founder and Director of Communications of the National Victim Center (now National Center for Victims of Crime).

Ms. Seymour has developed and implemented training and technical assistance programs to strengthen victims’ rights and services in law enforcement, prosecution, the judiciary, juvenile justice, restorative justice and community and institutional corrections. Her extensive research includes co-authoring the landmark study Rape in America: A Report to the Nation in 1992; she is the principal author of the American Correctional Association’s Report and Recommendations on Victims of Juvenile Offenders published in 1994, as well as of the Office for Victims of Crime Special Report on Victims of Gang Violence. Ms. Seymour is a principal author of the National Victim Assistance Academy texts sponsored by the Office for Victims of Crime, as well co-author of the NVAA’s advanced offerings, including the “Ultimate Educator” Training-for-Trainers” text and the “Leadership in Victim Services” text. She has served as a Consultant to over ten State Victim Assistance Academies.

She has authored or contributed to over 30 curricula and texts published by the Office for Victims of Crime since 1989, including “The Victim Role in Offender Reentry” and “Creating a Victim Focus: A Guide to Working with Victims During Offender Reentry” books. Ms. Seymour was also the Director of the OVC Strategic Planning Toolkit Project, and served as its principal author and editor, and coordinator of a national “training for planners” and Statewide Strategic Planning Conference for six states, both held in 2003. She was the Project Director for OVC’s Oral History Project, and its National Public Awareness and Education Campaign. Ms. Seymour is also a consultant and trainer for the U.S. Department of State to help improve services to American citizens who are victimized abroad, and is Co-investigator on the first project to determine mental health problems in Vietnam. She has appeared in virtually every news medium – including all network morning shows and evening newscasts, Nightline, Larry King Live, Crossfire, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Frontline – as an expert on crime victims’ rights.

Ms. Seymour is a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Victims’ Rights Roundtable and the U.S. Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus Advisory Group; the victim advocate representative on the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board; a member of the Board of Directors of the National Victims’ Constitutional Amendment Network; member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the International Association of Reentry; Vice-chair of the American Correctional Association Restorative Justice Committee; Board Member of the American Probation and Parole Association and past Chair and founding member of its Victim Issues Committee; Founding and Core Faculty Member of the National Victim Assistance Academy; Advisory Committee member for the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) project; a senior consultant to the National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center; principal consultant to the Center for Sex Offender Management and a member of its National Working Group; a Senior Consultant to the national Balanced and Restorative Justice Project; training consultant to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; member of the faculty of The National Judicial College and the National College of District Attorneys; consultant to the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators; and a member of the District of Columbia Advisory Commission on Sentencing.

Ms. Seymour has received numerous honors for her efforts, including the 1992 “Outstanding Service to Crime Victims” award from President Bush and the U.S. Congress Victim’s Rights Caucus Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy (2007). She graduated from California State University, Chico in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work/Corrections, and was valedictorian of her graduating class. Ms. Seymour completed her coursework in the CSU, Chico Masters of Public Administration program.

Past Recipients of the Victim Advocacy Award Include:
o Gail Burns-Smith (2004)
o Kathy Skaggs (2005)
o Diane Moyer (2006)
o John Stein (2007)
o Roberta Roper (2008)
o Steve Derene (2009)
o Steve Doell (2010)

Alaska Office of Victims’ Rights Honored with 2011 Victims’ Rights Partnership Award

The Victims’ Rights Partnership Award recognizes the collaborative efforts of individuals and/or organizations who have devoted their time to advancing crime victims’ rights.  The awards are presented each year at NCVLI’s Crime Victim Law Conference.

About the Alaska Office of Victims’ Rights

The Alaska Office of Victims’ Rights (OVR) is a legislative agency created by the Alaska Legislature in 2001. The OVR assists crime victims by advocating and enforcing their constitutional rights and statutory protections in the criminal justice system. The OVR functions as the legal advocate in state court for crime victims of all felony offenses, all class A misdemeanors involving domestic violence, and class A misdemeanors involving crimes against the person. The OVR also investigates criminal justice agencies and makes recommendations on behalf of crime victims and their interests. The OVR provides education and information to crime victims to improve their experience in the criminal justice system.

The OVR works with community and system based advocacy groups supporting crime victims throughout Alaska. The goal of this collaborative effort is to improve the administration of justice in Alaska courts and amplify the voice of crime victims. The office of the OVR is located in Anchorage, Alaska. The OVR team is comprised of six dedicated legal professionals: Executive Director, Victor Kester; Victims’ Advocate, Kathy J. Hansen; Victims’ Advocate, Shaun Sehl; Canice Bryson, Legal Assistant; Dana-Murphy Hoffman, Legal Assistant; and, Investigator, Gary Lee. The OVR maintains a philosophy of building cooperative and collaborative relationships with criminal justice agencies to further the interests of crime victims and to strengthen their role in seeking justice in Alaska courts.

Past Recipients of the Victims’ Rights Partnership Award Include:
o Grant County Prosecutor’s Office & Dano, Gilbert & Ahrend P.L.L.C. (2006)
o Attorney General Hardy Myers (2007)
o Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, James McIntyre, & Russ Rato (2008)
o Mónica Ramírez (2009)
o Victim Witness Section of the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arizona (2010)