RALLY TO HIGHLIGHT VICTIMS' RIGHTS

The steps taken to meet the needs of crime victims for the past 20 years will be recognized with the start of the National Crime Victims' Rights Week on Sunday.

Crime victims' week, to be marked in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday outside the Commons Pleas Courthouse, predates state and federal legislation that gave crime victims' specific rights in 1984.

Among other rights, the statutes give victims opportunities to receive compensation for physical and psychological injuries and a voice throughout the judicial process.

The laws have made prosecutors, police and courts more accountable for victims' welfare, said Abbie Crites-Leoni, who has worked as an assistant county prosecutor and is now staff attorney with the Cape Girardeau County Juvenile Office.

"It has made it a requirement to get them involved in the judicial proceedings," Crites-Leoni said.

Cape Girardeau's participation in victims' rights week will be highlighted at a 6 p.m. gathering at the gazebo adjacent to the Common Pleas Courthouse. Scheduled speakers include Mayor Al Spradling, Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Morley Swingle, and Police Chief Rick Hetzel.

A crime victim will also address the crowd, Crites-Leoni said.

Those attending will be encouraged to write down their hopes for the future of crime victims' rights in keeping with the national event's theme, "dare to dream." The cards will be hung on a tree planted last year on the courthouse lawn as a living memorial to crime victims.

Improved rights for crime victims have been especially effective in dealing with juvenile crime, said Carol Marshall, crime victim specialist with the Cape Girardeau County Juvenile Office.

Since juvenile victims are not allowed to appear in cases presented in juvenile court, the role of victim impact statements are important, Marshall said. The written statements describe what effects a crime has made on a victim.

"Since a child can't be physically present there in court, the words are still there," she said.

When a case involving a child is tried in state Circuit Court, judges will usually allow a videotape to be presented rather than ask the child to appear, Marshall said.

No crime is too small to be considered for restitution if it involves an victim, she said.

Missouri statutes offer fairly broad definitions of who may be compensated as a crime victim. Besides the victim of any crime, a victim's dependents, guardians involved in medical or burial expenses and victims' relatives who need counseling to then help counsel a victim.

Monetary compensation allows for $2,500 for medical or counseling expenses. In the case of lost wages, the state limits victim compensation to no more than $200 a week, with a maximum of $15,000.

But to get compensation, a crime must be reported to police within 48 hours, the statute says.