FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOVC
MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1991202/307-0781

PRESIDENT BUSH, ATTORNEY GENERAL THORNBURGH PRESENT AWARDS
TO SEVEN INDIVIDUALS FOR ASSISTANCE TO CRIME VICTIMS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Bush and Attorney General Dick Thornburgh today honored seven persons who have made outstanding contributions in assisting victims of crime in a White House ceremony. The President presented awards to the honorees who were selected from nominations submitted by federal, state and local criminal justice and victim assistance officials; national victim assistance organizations; and individual citizens.

Before the ceremony, President Bush signed a proclamation commemorating National Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 21-27, 1991).

"I commend these outstanding men and women who have worked tirelessly for many years to ensure that our criminal justice system treats crime victims and their families with equity and sensitivity,,, Thornburgh said. "Through the concerted efforts of these individuals--and others like them throughout the country--significant progress has been made in ensuring that':' innocent victims of crime are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, while criminals are held accountable for the terrible harm they have inflicted upon law-abiding citizens."

Honored were:

--Gail Abarbanel, Santa Monica, California. For the past 20 years, Abarbanel's life work has focused on bringing justice and effective care to rape victims. Through her work, she has helped raise the nation's awareness about the crime of rape and the way in which rape victims are treated. Abarbanel is founder and director of the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica Hospital, a comprehensive multi-disciplinary program that provides treatment to rape victims. She also was instrumental in launching a national campaign to stop rape on college campuses, and published a landmark report recommending policies and programs colleges can adopt to prevent rape and assist victims.

--Josephine Bass, Chicago, Illinois. Bass was recognized for her dedication to and service on behalf of women and their children who are victims of domestic violence. She first became involved with domestic violence victims in 1980 as a social worker at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge, and later as director of counseling at Rainbow House, a shelter for battered women. Bass is founder and executive director of Neapolitan Lighthouse, a nonprofit, grassroots social services agency serving Chicago's West Side Garfield Park community, and was instrumental in opening a second shelter in the area, the Lifeline Homeless Shelter.

--Frank Carrington, Esq., Virginia Beach, Virginia. Carrington's involvement as a lawyer and volunteer spans decades. He has lectured, written, and served as an advocate of crime victims as a police officer, legal counselor to police departments and law enforcement organizations, leader of national advocacy organizations, and as an attorney in private practice. Carrington was a member of the 1982 Presidential Task Force on Victims of Crime and currently directs the Coalition of Victims' Attorneys & Consultants (COVAC), a clearinghouse of legal information on victim litigation that is supported by the National Victim Center. He also was instrumental in securing passage of the Federal Students' Right to Know and Campus Security Act of 1990, and has provided legal research and information through Security on Campus Inc. and the National Victim Center.

--Jayne G. Crisp, Greenville, South Carolina. Crisp has devoted years of hard work to serving crime victims in Greenville and throughout South Carolina. In 1974, she established the Rape Crisis Council of Greenville, and, in 1978, created the first prosecutor-based Victim-Witness Assistance Program in South Carolina, which she directed for 13 years. The program is considered a model for sensitively addressing the needs of child victims. In her present position as Project Coordinator for Training and Community Development for South Carolina, Crisp provides training and shares her victims service and program management expertise with field programs throughout the state.

--John W. Gillis, Alhambra, California. Gillis's commitment to crime victims is based on a personal tragedy--the murder of his 21-year-old daughter by a gang which targeted her because her father was a police officer. Gillis served with the Los Angeles Police Department from 1962 until his retirement in 1988. After the murder, Gillis became active in Parents of Murdered Children, a support group for families of homicide victims, and rounded the California Center for Family Survivors of Homicide, which works on behalf of the rights of families of victims. He also founded the Coalition of Victims, Equal Rights (COVER), a statewide organization that assists victims service agencies and advocates on behalf of victims issues.

--Nancy Stoner Lampy, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Lampy is the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee/Victim-Witness Coordinator in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota. In this capacity, she has developed an excellent rapport with Native American communities in a state that encompasses nine Indian reservations. She has arranged mental health counseling for scores of victims of child sexual abuse on several Indian reservations in the state. Since joining the U.S. Attorney's Office as the first victim-witness advocate, she has provided support, information, and assistance to hundreds of Native American victims of violent crime. In addition, Lampy has been a leader in developing model programs for providing victim- witness services in remote areas where transportation is often difficult and telephones are often lacking.

--Barbara Reed, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Reed -- moved by the death of a close friend and her friend's children as the result of an automobile crash caused by a drunk driver -- co-founded Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) in Anderson County, Tennessee, which provides assistance to victims of drunk drivers and their families and acts as a liaison between victims and law enforcement. Reed founded additional chapters throughout the state, and, eventually, became coordinator of RID/Tennessee. She also has worked toward passage of the Tennessee Victims' Rights Law, and organized a statewide court-watch system for drunk driving cases.

"I would like to add my gratitude and commendation to these seven individuals for their hard work and dedication in serving the needs and protecting the rights of the innocent victims of crime and their families," said Jane Nady Burnley, director of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), which administers the annual awards program. "Through their outstanding efforts, they have contributed significantly to institutionalizing victims rights in our criminal justice system."

OVC, a component of the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs, serves as the federal focal point for addressing the needs and improving the treatment of crime victims. OVC administers the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program, which awards grants to states to expand victim compensation and assistance and supports innovative crime victim projects. OVC also sponsors training for criminal justice officials to help them better meet the needs of crime victims and their families. The VOCA program is primarily financed by the Crime Victims Fund. Monies in the fund come--not from taxpayers--but from fines, penalties, and bond forfeitures assessed on convicted federal defendants.

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This document was last updated on May 29, 2008