City Mayors Each of these entities receives many requests for proclamations, so it’s important to make a strong case for proclaiming the week of April 8 - 14, 2018 to be (state/ municipality/city) Crime Victims’ Rights Week. It’s a good idea to submit your request as early as possible and with as many co-signatories as possible, including: • Crime victims and survivors • Directors of system-based victim assistance programs • Directors of community-based victim assistance programs • Leadership within your criminal and juvenile justice systems (Chiefs of Police, County/Parish Sheriff, Prosecutor, Probation or Parole Director, Department of Corrections Director or Commissioner, etc.) Here is sample language you can adapt for a letter or email request for a 2018 NCVRW proclamation: Dear ( ): National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) is a time-honored tradition observed annually each April. Since 1981, when President Ronald Reagan declared the first NCVRW, crime victims and survivors and those who serve them join together in April to promote victims’ rights and services, and efforts to prevent crime and work together to make our communities safer. The theme of 2018 NCVRW, scheduled for April 8 to 14 is “Expand the Circle. Reach All Victims.” It addresses the need to ensure that all victims have access to quality, comprehensive services to help them in the aftermath of criminal victimization. We would be honored if you would issue a formal (Governor’s/Legislative/ Attorney General’s/Board of Supervisors/City Council/Mayoral) proclamation to commemorate 2018 Crime Victims’ Rights Week in our (jurisdiction). We have enclosed/attached sample language for your consideration in drafting a proclamation. This year, (your program) received a Community Awareness Project award from the Office for Victims of Crime within the U.S. Department of Justice to increase public awareness about victims’ rights and services in our (jurisdiction). Your proclamation is an important component of our efforts to recognize crime survivors, and educate crime victims and our community about resources that can enhance victim assistance and community safety. We welcome the opportunity for you or a representative to present the proclamation at our NCVRW special event, scheduled for (day/date/time/location). We appreciate your consideration of our request, and know that a (Governor’s/ Legislative/Attorney General’s/Board of Supervisors/City Council/Mayoral)
Sample Proclamation* This sample proclamation is provided in the standard proclamation format. Whereas, between 2016 and the first half of 2017, violent crime in America decreased by 0.8 percent and property crime decreased by 2.9 percent; and Whereas, only 42 percent of violent crimes and only 36 percent of property victimizations were reported to police in 2016; and Whereas, only nine percent of victims of serious violent crimes receive direct assistance from a victim service agency; and Whereas, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week – April 8 to 14, 2018 – is an important time to collaborate across our state and Nation to celebrate the theme of “Expand the Circle. Reach All Victims.” and Whereas, by joining together in partnerships to offer support and assistance to anyone who is victimized by crime, we “expand our circle” of help, hope and healing for crime survivors; and Whereas, we can “reach all victims” by promoting victim services not only during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week but throughout the year, in every single jurisdiction of the United States; and Whereas, we recognize as individuals, communities and a Nation that justice isn’t served until crime victims are; and Whereas, victims and survivors of crime can receive a wide range of supportive services offered by over 30,000 community- and justice system-based programs, and exercise their rights as defined by more than 32,000 Federal and state laws; therefore, be it Resolved, that (individual or entity) proclaims the week of April 8 to 14, 2018 to be (city/county/parish/state) Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and honors crime victims and those who serve them during this week and throughout the year; and be it further Resolved, that a suitably prepared copy of this proclamation be presented to (your organization) on (date).
* The statistics included in this Sample Proclamation are derived from: “2017 January – June Preliminary Semiannual Crime Report, ‘Crime in the United States’,” published in the Uniform Crime Reports by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in January 2018; “Criminal Victimization, 2016,” published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, “Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violent Crime, 1993 - 2009,” published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2011; For More Information Please contact National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Community Awareness Project Consultant Anne Seymour via email at ; or by telephone at 202.487.7329.