2009 Conference dates will be announced by the end of summer...stay tuned!

Opening the Doors: Victim Access to Justice 2008 Conference Recap

NCVLI’s 7th Annual Crime Victim Law & Litigation Conference took place on May 30 & 31, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. This year’s Conference theme, Opening the Doors: Victim Access to Justice, recognized that barriers in the criminal justice system have long prevented meaningful access for victims. The conference brought together 130 individuals from 25 states and the District of Columbia, to discuss ways to remedy this lack of access to ensure that victims can become active participants in the criminal justice process. Attorneys, advocates, prosecutors, victims, and law enforcement convened at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel for two days of plenary sessions and workshop presentations. They exchanged experiences, knowledge, and promising practices, and engaged in lively debate and conversations.

The conference program was packed with expert workshop presenters and intriguing speakers. The Honorable Paul Cassell, Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, drawing on his experiences both as a federal district court judge from 2002-07 and as victims’ rights attorney both before and after his time on the bench, addressed the audience on what arguments to make – and not to make – to judges considering victims’ rights cases. Roberta Roper, Founder and Board Chair of the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. (MCVRC) along with Oliver Smith Sr., Founding Member of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Concerns of Police Survivors, & Member of the Board of Directors of MCVRC, shared their unique experiences as victim survivors of violent crime, discussing how far the victims’ movement has progressed to help empower us to keep the promise for victim justice. Other nationally recognized conference faculty included experts such as Hon. Hardy Myers, Oregon Attorney General, Steve Twist, founder and president of Arizona Voice for Victims, John Clune, Co-Founder of the Victim Justice Initiative, and Diane Moyer, Legal Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.

Inclusive to the conference program was an awards ceremony to honor the work of attorneys, advocates and organizations that have made significant and notable contributions to the enhancement of crime victims’ status and standing within the criminal justice system. This year, NCVLI paid tribute to the following people:

Thanks to all who helped make the 2008 Conference a success. We look forward to seeing you in 2009!

Former Conferences

This conference is supported by Grant No. 2007-JA-CX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.