Ceremony Stresses Importance of Crime Victims' Rights

Published on April 04, 2017

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office commemorated National Crime Victims' Rights Week on Monday with a ceremony hosted by Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and keynoted by Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno.

Knapp began the hour-long event in Morristown by reminding the audience that what are now known as victims' rights did not exist in the criminal justice system prior to the 1980s. At that time, relatives of victims were normally kept out of the courtroom unless they were appearing as witnesses. Many times they were often denied a chance to speak at sentencing.

That began to change in 1981 when National Crime Victims' Rights Week was commemorated for the first time. Shortly thereafter, victims' rights in New Jersey were supported by voters after a campaign spearheaded by the late James O'Brien, a former Morris County freeholder from Mendham Township and the father of a murder victim.

Voters supported a constitutional amendment mandating that crime victims shall be treated with fairness, compassion and respect by the criminal justice system, and that a victim of a crime shall not be denied the right to be present at public judicial proceedings except when sequestered prior to completing testimony. The amendment ended victims' status as afterthoughts in the criminal justice system.
As Knapp put it, Victims of crime rightfully deserve due attention from our trained professionals as they navigate through the criminal justice system, and dedicated members of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office's Victim Witness Unit play an integral role during this process. With unwavering compassion, they serve as true advocates in addressing all crime victims' needs in Morris County.

One of those speaking Monday was Laurie Parks, whose daughter was murdered in 2005. Parks said that she was adrift after her daughter's murder and that the prosecutor's Victim Witness Unit helped her persevere. Knapp applauded the work of the Victim Witness Unit, saying that they serve as advocates for the needs of all victims.

Guadagno, a former federal prosecutor and Monmouth County sheriff, stressed the importance of Crime Victims' Rights Week, but said victims need advocates every day. She also pointed out New Jersey's commitment to the rights of victims, noting that crime victims' rights are enshrined in the New Jersey Constitution.

Crime victims must be respected every day, a point driven home by Monday's ceremony and Crime Victims' Rights Week.

For more information, contact Fred Snowflack at (973) 829-8159 or pressinquiry@co.morris.nj.us.