Bill Text: CA SCR118 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-05-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 55, Statutes of 2018. [SCR118 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SCR118-Chaptered.html
| Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 118 |
| CHAPTER 55 |
Relative to Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
May 01, 2018.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 118, Newman.
Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
This measure would recognize the week of April 8, 2018, to April 14, 2018, inclusive, as Crime Victims’ Rights Week in California.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, Violent crime continues to exist in California, and crime in one part of the state, or crime against one person, affects our entire sense of well-being; and
WHEREAS, All Californians are affected by crime, not just the victims of violent crime; and
WHEREAS, The most effective aid that can be provided to victims of crime is to prevent crime from happening in the first place; and
WHEREAS, Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has raised awareness of the special needs of crime victims; and
WHEREAS, This year, the theme for this week is “Expand the Circle: Reach All Victims”; and
WHEREAS, The 2018 theme for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week emphasizes the importance of inclusion in victim services; and
WHEREAS, 2018 is a landmark year for crime victims and survivors, as well as those who serve them; and
WHEREAS, The respect for and protection of victims’ rights within the legal process is one of the most critical components of an effective criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, Victims and witnesses of crime require special attention to ensure that they are thoroughly informed about, and effectively participate in, the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, To the maximum extent allowed by law, victims of violent crime should receive compensation for their losses; and
WHEREAS, Each day thousands of victims and witnesses receive assistance from victim support organizations, victim-witness assistance centers, private service providers, and state and local governments; and
WHEREAS, The criminal justice system in this state must persist in its effort to better coordinate and improve the quality of services provided to victims and witnesses; and
WHEREAS, California has been an innovator in the victims’ rights movement, establishing the first crime victim compensation program in the nation in 1965; Women’s Advocates and Haven House in Pasadena established the first shelters for battered women in the nation in 1976; and Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded in 1980 with the establishment of a chapter in Sacramento; and
WHEREAS, California citizens enshrined victims’ rights in the California Constitution in 1982 through the passage of Proposition 8, the Victims’ Bill of Rights; and
WHEREAS, California citizens reaffirmed and afforded additional rights to victims in the California Constitution and in California law in 2008 through the passage of Proposition 9, the Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008: Marsy’s Law; and
WHEREAS, Each year, the observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week focuses on the problems confronting victims of crime and the services available to support these victims; and
WHEREAS, The remembrances observed during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week promote awareness of victims’ issues and acknowledge the combined efforts of citizens, the government, and the criminal justice system to improve victims’ services in California; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby recognizes the week of April 8, 2018, through April 14, 2018, inclusive, as Crime Victims’ Rights Week in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
