NIXON STRESSES SUPPORT FOR CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS

Efforts to educate crime victims about their rights in Cape Girardeau are "unmatched" by any other area of the state, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon said during a visit Thursday in Cape Girardeau.

Nixon is making a statewide tour during National Crime Victims' Week to stress his support of those rights.

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. and crime victim advocate Betty Knoll met with Nixon. They told him of the lack of services for crime victims and their families in Southeast Missouri outside of Cape Girardeau. They called the situation appalling but said a framework is in place to help.

A 2-year-old state law gives victims of dangerous felonies rights concerning notification, court appearances and input into the criminal justice system.

Victim advocacy in Cape Girardeau has been in place since 1985. "We are the only ones doing this in Southeast Missouri," said Knoll. "St. Louis is probably the closest besides here."

She told of prosecutors in some counties who avoid dealing with victims families.

Boyd said some counties "talk about victim's rights, but they don't have any."

Knoll said that for a family to "deal with the trauma and then go through a system that's not working, that's ridiculous. The victims are not being serviced."

Nixon said one important part of the state's victims' rights law is that victims or their family members can go to a sentencing hearing to talk about the crime.

"Bringing the family in before the judge changes the dynamics of the situation," said Nixon.

Nixon said his office is developing a guide for victims of violent crime.