History of the Community Coalition for Victims' Rights

Origins:

Crime has been a significant problem in Southern Nevada during the past several decades. As was the case in many jurisdictions until the 1970’s, however, suspected offenders were being better identified and more successfully prosecuted while their victims received few services from the justice system. In the 1970’s, residents of Las Vegas realized there was much to be gained and a great deal to lose if effective services were not available to the public. It was quite natural, then, that programs would be developed to provide assistance to the often forgotten participants in the judicial process—the victims of and witnesses to crime. As criminal justice and social service administrators became aware of the need to provide assistance to those most affected by criminal acts in this country, victim services agencies have proliferated rapidly. During the mid-1970’s, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) of the United States Department of Justice provided the financial support for many of the initial programs—rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs, child and senior abuse projects and victim-witness services centers.

Involving the victims in the criminal justice system:

The development of the Citizen Committee on Victim Rights in Clark County was in response to recognizing the important role that victims and witnesses of crime played in the criminal justice system. The needs of these individuals had traditionally been considered secondary to their ability to provide evidence. By not addressing their needs, however, police and prosecutors seriously reduced the level of cooperation they received. This also reduced law enforcement’s ability to arrest and convict offenders. Because poor communication was a major cause of witness non-cooperation, victims and witnesses (frequently unfamiliar with the processes of police investigation and subsequent prosecution) found the justice system to be a frightening experience. Without the aid of persons who were trained to explain court procedures and act upon the victim-witnesses’ fear and concerns, these most important people felt lost in a strange and threatening maze. Aware of these difficulties, the Clark County District Attorney, Bob Miller, took a major step in 1976 to implement a program to aid victims and witnesses. Like the pilot programs funded be LEAA in 1975, the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Center was designed to help reduce the number of case dismissals resulting from uncooperative witnesses and to provide service to those persons who were required to participate in the criminal justice process.

Forming CCVR:

In March of 1979, the Clark County District Attorney assembled all of the known victim services program directors. He proposed a concept of an organization that would function in an advisory committee capacity to him on victim-related issues. Some of the objectives that were set as a result of that meeting included:
Shortly after formation, the Committee ratified bylaws governing the general organization, purpose and powers of the membership. In 2003 CCVR applied for non-profit status and was granted it’s 501©3 in 2004.

Growing in Unity...

In June 2004, our community was selected to participate in a Technical Assistance Training provided by the Victim Services 2000 Model from Colorado, funded by the Office for Victims of Crime of the U.S. Department of Justice. The agencies present at the training decided to adopt the CCVR as the banner organization to form a collaborative partnership to provide services to all victims.