AWARD DISTRIBUTION AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHART
National crime Victims Rights Week 1992
1992 Award Winners
The Honorable Richard Barajas
E1 Paso, Texas
Colleen Thompson Campbell
San Juan Capistrano, California
Anita Armstrong Drummond
Crime Victims Compensation Commission
Montgomery, Alabama
Ray Larson
Commonwealth's Attorney
Fayette County
Lexington, Kentucky
Tibby Milne
Bountiful, Utah
Aurelia Sands Belle
Victim Witness Program
Metropolitan Crime Commission
Atlanta, Georgia
Anne Katherine Seymour
Director of Communication and Resource Development
The National Victim Center
Arlington, Virginia
Marlene Annette Younq, Ph.D.
National Organization for Victim Assistance
Washington, D.C.
The Honorable Richard Barajas
A1 Paso City County Building
E1 Paso, Texas
A tragic victimization experience profoundly affected the course of Richard Barajas's life. In 1987, in response to the murder of his brother, Oscar, Justice Barajas abandoned his private law practice to run for the Office of District Attorney for the 83rd Judicial District in the State of Texas. After his election to the position, Justice Barajas promptly implemented a prosecutor-based victim assistance center, the first such establishment in rural West Texas. The inception of this center represents Justice Barajas's first effort to restore the rights of victims in a criminal justice system that has traditionally focused on the rights of offenders.
In December of 1991, the Governor of Texas appointed Justice Barajas to the Eighth District Court of Appeals; at the age of 38, he assumed office as the youngest appellate judge in the State.
A recognized authority on the rights of crime victims, Justice Barajas has lent his expertise and energy to a number of state victim-oriented endeavors, including the Texas War on Drugs, the Texas Council on Family Violence, the Texas Center for the Judiciary, and the Texas State Bar Committee on Victims and Witnesses. He has also joined the national efforts on behalf of crime victims, and presently serves as Treasurer of the National Organization for Victim Assistance.
Colleen Thompson Campbell
San Juan Capistrano, California
Ms. Campbell is the founder and leader of Memory of Victims Everywhere (MOVE), a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing justice reforms in memory of those who have been murdered. Ms. Campbell came into her role as a crime victim's advocate through personal tragedies. Her only son was murdered in 1982, and six years later -- while her son's case remained tied up in the court system -- her brother and his wife were also murdered.
Ms. Campbell has worked tirelessly to organize crime victims so that their concerns are heard at the level of state government. In her capacity as both a volunteer with MOVE and the State Victims' Chairwoman, Ms. Campbell pressed for and helped to achieve passage of California's Crime Victims Justice Reform Act. Under Ms. Campbell's direction, MOVE members collected enough signatures to put the initiative on the state ballot. Ms. Campbell then devoted countless hours of her personal time to travel the state -- often at her own expense -- to relate her story to the public and advance the message contained in the legislation.
Ms. Campbell has served as a resource person and inspiration for legislative reforms at the Federal level as well. Accompanied by her husband, Ms. Campbell traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1991 to lobby for the President's Omnibus Crime Bill in general, and for habeas corpus reform in particular. Mrs. Campbell has won the respect of both state legislators and Federal administrators for the courage and conviction she demonstrates in focusing public attention on the hardships suffered by victims of crime.
Anita Armstrong Drummond
Crime Victims Compensation Commission
Montgomery, Alabama
Anita Armstrong Drummond has served as the Executive Director of the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission since it was founded in 1984. The Commission was created not only to financially compensate victims, but to speak out for victims across the state. Under Ms. Drummond's direction, the Commission has achieved reforms far and beyond its original mission. The Commission has taken a proactive role in writing and promoting legislation on behalf of victims, challenging injustices to victims by the criminal justice system, and initiating policy changes in the agencies that affect victims. In 1984, there were only five victim service programs in the state; subsequently the Commission has awarded grants to ensure that there are victim services in every judicial circuit.
Ms. Drummond is a seasoned victim advocate who brings to her position extensive knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by crime victims. Prior to her work with the state, she provided direct services and counseling to victims of domestic abuse, incest, and sexual assault. In 1979, she coordinated the first Victim/Witness Unit in the Montgomery District Attorney's Office, only the third in the state at that time. She has also been instrumental in the organization of several grass roots efforts on behalf of victims, including a domestic violence shelter and the statewide victims rights group, Victims of Crime and ~Leniency (VOCAL). She has held positions on the governing bodies of the National Organization for Victim Assistance and the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards. Ms. Drummond's compassionate efforts have had a significant and sustained impact on crime victims both in Alabama and around the nation.
Ray Larson
Commonwealth's Attorney
Fayette County
Lexington, Kentucky
Since his 1984 appointment and subsequent election to the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney, Ray Larson has been a champion of justice for and sensitive treatment of victims. One of his first acts as Commonwealth Attorney was to establish the most comprehensive prosecutor-based victim assistance program in Kentucky -- a program that has been nationally recognized for its excellence. Based on an innovative partnership between criminal justice professionals and victim advocates, Mr. Larson's program minimizes additional trauma to crime victims by guiding them through every phase of the criminal justice system. This program laid the groundwork for the subsequent development and implementation of victim assistance agencies throughout the State of Kentucky, and has served as a model for new prosecutor-based victim assistance programs around the nation.
Mr. Larson's commitment to crime victims is further demonstrated by his ongoing efforts to raise public awareness of crime victims needs and rights. A respected authority on the prosecution of capital murder cases and drunk driving homicides, Mr. Larson has lent his voice to public media forums that focus on victim issues. A proponent of crime prevention through education, Mr. Larson was also instrumental in the implementation of the Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education (DARE) curriculum in the local public school system.
As evidence of the high esteem in which his colleagues hold him, in 1991 Mr. Larson was elected as the first President of the Kentucky Victims' Coalition, a Organization founded to give crime victims and their advocates a voice in state government.
Tibby Milne
Bountiful, Utah
Spurred to action by the 1975 abduction of a child from her hometown, Ms. Tibby Milne has since devoted her energies to protecting the safety and well-being of our nation's children. Ms. Milne has sacrificed numerous hours to ensure the success of three programs she founded: the Utah Council for Crime Prevention, the "McGruff House" and "McGruff Truck" programs.
In 1975, Ms. Milne rallied policy makers, law enforcement representatives, and community leaders to build an umbrella organization to fight crime. The Utah Council for Crime Prevention is a model state-wide crime prevention effort, unique in its structure, owned and managed by volunteers, and nationally replicated.
The abduction and murders of seven Utah children between 1981 and 1983 pushed Ms. Milne, the mother of six, to confront crimes against children. Under her direction, the Utah Council for Crime Prevention joined other local and state organizations to design and implement a unique child protection program -- the "McGruff House." Using the symbol of "McGruff," the crime fighting dog, Ms. Milne spearheaded the establishment of a network of temporary "safe homes," staffed by trained volunteers, to which children may turn when they find themselves in threatening or emergency situations. The "McGruff House" program has been adopted by other states and community leaders; it has also been adapted for inner city and minority communities and promoted as an alternative to d~rug and gang activity.
By 1986, under Ms. Milne's leadership, the "McGruff House" was expanded to include "McGruff Truck," a program which trains utility drivers to respond to children in emergency situations. Ms. Milne has been instrumental in taking both programs to 48 states and over 1,000 communities. Currently, there are 90,504 "McGruff Houses" established; in addition, 7,200 trained utility drivers nationwide await the opportunity to assist children. To Ms. Milne's credit, ten states have passed legislation or resolutions identifying the "McGruff House" program as the authorized program and safety symbol for their state.
Aurelia Sands Belle
Victim Witness Program
Metropolitan Crime Commission
Atlanta, Georgia
For the past eight years, Aurelia Sands Belle has served as the Director of the Victim Witness Program of the Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission and the City of Atlanta. When the program opened its doors in 1984, it was the first agency to provide comprehensive services to all victims of crime in Metropolitan Atlanta. Under Ms. Sands Belle's direction, the program has grown in scope and intensity, addressing the psychological, physical and financial effects of crime on victims, and seeking to effect public policy and legislation on behalf of victim rights. The success of these endeavors is largely attributable to Ms. Sands Belle's dedicated leadership and perseverance.
Recognizing the formidable challenges confronting those victims who are thrust into the criminal justice system, Ms. Sands Belle has been particularly sensitive and responsive to the needs of marginalized and isolated victims of crime. She has been instrumental in the establishment of services for survivors of homicide victims, as well as child and elderly victims, and victims of ethic minority origin. Under her discerning leadership, multi- lingual services have been provided for victims whose native languages are Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese and Laotian. These services have given underserved victims access to support services, often for the first time.
The scope of Ms. Sands Belle's service to victims extends well beyond Atlanta. Prior to her work at the Victim Witness Program, she directed the activities of the National Organization for Victim Assistance. She has also improved services available to victims of crime, by conducting numerous training seminars for service providers and community leaders across the country.
Anne Katherine Seymour
Director of Communication and Resource Development
The National Victim Center
Arlington, Virginia
A nationally respected public spokesperson for victims rights, Anne Seymour has received the respect and gratitude of victims and victims advocates alike. Ms. Seymour's efforts, however, are not concentrated solely on enhancing the public's awareness of victim issues. Rather, Ms. Seymour has served as an energetic and skillful catalyst in the advancement of the entire victims rights' movement in this country.
Ms. Seymour is a founding staff member of the National Victim Center (NVC), one of the most effective victim rights' organizations in the nation. In her role as Director of Communication and Resource Development, she has acted as a unifying force among sometimes disparate interest groups, building bridges between victim rights organizations and drawing their focus on a common vision. A respected trainer, she has participated in numerous seminars to improve the quality and timeliness of services provided to victims nationwide.
Ms. Seymour has spearheaded efforts to establish crime victim services in correctional institutions; actively promoted constitutional protections for victims; and developed legislation guarding against the media's disclosure of the names of sexual assault victims. Perhaps most important to victims, however, is the compassion and genuine concern Ms. Seymour has demonstrated, uplifting many when they were most in need.
Marlene Annette Young, Ph.D.
National Organization for Victim Assistance
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Marlene Young has served for the past eleven years as the Executive Director of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), a membership organization she founded 17 years ago to further the study and implementation of victim rights and services.
With degrees in both law and psychology, Dr. Young is a renowned authority in the field of victimology. Perhaps more importantly, however, she is looked to by victims and professionals across the nation as an impassioned and articulate spokeswoman for crime victims, and one of the founders of the victims' rights movement. Dr. Young has testified before state legislatures and the Congress hundreds of times to promote legislation safeguarding the rights of crime victims within the criminal justice system. Her single- mindedness and expertise, coupled with the collective efforts of victims, activists and policy makers, have effected the passage of much-needed legislative reforms at both the state and Federal levels.
Through the work of NOVA's emergency response teams, Dr. Young has personally and directly provided crisis intervention services to whole communities traumatized in the aftermath of violent crimes. She has also traveled the nation extensively to assist local communities in setting up effective victim assistance programs, and to train victim advocates and their allied professionals in the law, criminal justice, social services and the clergy to be responsive to victims' needs. Dr. Young is also the author of a considerable body of published work addressing victims' issues. Her efforts to allevatiate the suffering of crime victims are unsurpassed and deserving of national recognition.