This year's theme for National Crime Victims' Rights Week is "Justice for Victims, Justice for All". That means there will be no justice for any of us if we don't seek greater fairness for all victims of crime.

Dramatic progress has been made in securing justice for victims since the 1980s. All the states, Minnesota included, have victims' rights laws and 33 states have constitutional amendments that protect victims' rights. Every state has a compensation fund and thousands of victim service agencies help crime victims nationwide. Despite such impressive progress, we still have a long way to go. Jurisdictions

sometimes fail to notify victims of court proceedings or offender status, deny them the right to be heard at sentencing, fail to issue or enforce orders of restitution or fail to inform victims about the compensation they are entitled to receive.

Injustice weakens public safety. If victims are too discouraged to report the crimes or serve as witnesses, our criminal justice system grinds to a halt. Every American has a stake in victims' rights.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week was April 13- 19. If you or someone you know is a victim of a crime in Todd County, contact Hands of Hope Resource Center at 320-732-2319. We offer advocacy services during the court process so the victim is made aware of the proceedings and offender status. Our services are free and confidential.

It is time to seek justice for all victims of crime.
Annette Schilling
General Crime Advocate
Hands of Hope
Resource Center
Long Prairie, Minn.