Give crime victims respect year 'round

This year's theme of National Crime Victims' Rights week is is "Crime Victims' Rights: Fairness. Dignity. Respect." While nationally, victims of crime are recognized only one week of the year, advocacy groups throughout the country work with crime victims and their families every day to help them cope with the tragedy that has befallen them.

DuPage County is fortunate enough to have several organizations dedicated to helping victims of crime: Parents of Murdered Children, Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Family Shelter Service, Friends of the DuPage County Children's Center, Families Against Chronic Excessive Speed, DuPage Women Against Rape, the Anti-Crime Contribution Committee, Crime Stoppers, Illinois and DuPage County Crime Commissions and my office's Victim Witness Division all do an outstanding job helping crime victims re-claim their lives from the offenses committed against them.

These organizations help victims understand and cope with the impact of crime. They also help access victim compensation, develop safety plans, navigate the criminal justice system and provide information abut victims' legal rights and options. Without their valuable services, victims of crime would have nowhere to turn to in what could be the most difficult time of their lives. If you are the victim of violent crime in DuPage County, I urge you to contact my office at (630) 407-8008 for assistance. If you would like to help crime victims, contact any of the agencies listed above. I am sure they would welcome any support you could provide.

Crime does not recognize social, economic or geographical boundaries. It can strike any of us at any time. With this in mind, I ask that we all do what we can to give the victims of crime the fairness, dignity and respect they deserve not just during crime Victims' Rights Week but through the entire year.

Joseph E. Birkett

DuPage County State's Attorney