jj
New Arrival
Posts: 5
|
Post by jj on May 15, 2005 7:26:08 GMT -5
Now, we all know that inmates can only call home once every 90 days for 5 minutes. It has been tried through legislation to chang this... but wanna know why they havn't come up with something yet? Well, when it was asked through channels why, this is the answer (notice who was trying to get their hands in the bucket too) I have long supported access to telephones for Texas prison inmates but the last time we got close to passing a law in the legislature making this possible, John Whitmire would get $.25 per call, the chair of the Texas House committee would get an equal amount, Justice for all would get a nice percentage per call and so would crime stoppers and each of the lobbyists bringing in the system. Result: about $5.00 per minute for a 10 minute call home from and inmate to his/her mother. That is the way political decisions are made in Texas. You get calls, you can not afford telephones to hear them. I came up with a system that could be operated for a fraction of the costs above but the politicians and prison bureaucrats want their cuts so change is not likely. (note from CCADP - these rules refer to Texas D.R - the rules differ in other states. in PA they used to get one 15 minute phone call (collect) a week. Now I think they can purchase phone cards and make a few more calls if they have the funds. CA prisoners seem to be able to make collect calls at will if they can get to the phone )
|
|
jj
New Arrival
Posts: 5
|
Post by jj on May 15, 2005 7:37:49 GMT -5
The article I started this thread with, I found it and just realized that I didn't post it all. THERE'S MORE GUYS:
In 1997, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice renamed a prison in Humble after JFA founder Lychner, an honor normally reserved for law enforcement officers. That, and a bizarre prison tour incident, have some wondering just how deeply the group's reach extends.
Robert Fratta was sent to death row after his Harris County conviction in 1996 for arranging the murder of his wife. In June 2000, he looked up from inside his high-security prison cell at a startling sight: Staring back at him through his cell window were Lex and Betty Baquer, the parents of his murdered wife. Accompanying them was what looked like a lynch mob, Fratta says.
The convict says Betty Baquer pursed her lips as if to spit on him, which he avoided by moving to the side. Fratta claims the tour group taunted and harassed him.
While Hollywood has depicted similar dramatic confrontations, in reality they are virtually nonexistent -- such encounters are serious violations of prison security and TDCJ policy.
It's unclear just how the Baquers got to Fratta's cell, but someone knew exactly what he or she was doing. Another woman who has toured death row notes that the only stairway to Fratta's second-floor cell is through a locked door. Fratta says a guard led the Justice For All group straight to him; prison officials say the guard was distracted by JFA members while others sneaked away to Fratta's cell.
TDCJ spokesman Larry Todd says the incident "is unacceptable on our part. It's unfortunate, and we don't tolerate it."
Death row tours have since been canceled, although JFA in its January 1996 newsletter rejoiced about an earlier prison tour that included state District Judge Jan Krocker. On that tour, JFA member Bob Corriera got to confront his daughter's killer, Rex Mays, who was recently executed.
Critics of JFA point to these incidents, the tasteless T-shirts and the seemingly casual disregard for the wrongly accused as indicative of the group's mind-set. The most common criticism is that they are so tightly wound in anger and revenge that they do themselves, and others, more harm than good.
Psychologist David Doerfler, a crime victim who worked in TDCJ's Victim Services for eight years, says that some victims' groups "are extremely vindictive, very adversarial, and will not allow for the variance of other victims who choose not to respond aggressively or violently. I don't mean physically, but forcing themselves and their opinions on others."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When it comes to spreading the gospel of Justice For All, the group's best ambassador has to be the well-positioned Andy Kahan.
In his publicly funded role as the city's crime victims' advocate, Kahan is the first in line to extend help to many new victims. Houston police even carry his official city business card to hand out to those they meet who have been harmed by criminals.
He qualifies for the job in part by being a crime victim himself. Kahan told the Houston Chronicle that he dressed as a chicken and sang to make extra money as a college student in 1981. While dressed as that chicken, he said, a crowd of drunks beat him and put a gun to his head.
His job duties are typical of victims' advocates: He expedites services and compensation for victims, acts as a city liaison for crime prevention and victims' groups, works with organizations to achieve reforms in the justice system, monitors statistics to make sure Houston is not a "dumping ground" for parolees and provides other help. Kahan has discretion on referrals of victims to various advocacy groups, and his close ties to JFA make some wonder if -- as JFA's victims' group coordinator -- he doubles as the prime recruiter for the organization.
Ray Hill, an ex-convict, inmate rights advocate and host of KPFT's The Prison Show is blunt: "Andy is the man behind the curtain. He runs Justice For All for free from a city-paid office…Andy keeps them in fresh victims."
Hill says he has known Kahan since the late '80s, when Kahan was a parole officer and sometime contributor to Hill's radio show. Hill and Jack Beal, a parole officer who worked with Kahan, say that Kahan was involved in a dispute over his expense reporting before he left his job in 1990.
After a stint with the county's probation department, Kahan became the city's first victims' advocate in 1992. A member of mayor Bob Lanier's staff, who praised Kahan for his passionate advocacy for victims, said the new administration ordered a review of the earlier allegations regarding Kahan's parole office expense reports. They were determined not to be a detriment to hiring him as the city's advocate, the former staffer said.
Problems later surfaced for Kahan in 1996, when a crime victim who had been a victims' group volunteer came forward to complain about his conduct. In a sworn affidavit, the woman said that in 1994, Kahan met her in his official capacity, recruited her into JFA and told her she should speak publicly about her experience as a sexual assault victim. Her statement says he invited her to a victims' conference in Austin, but told her when they arrived that the city would pay for only one hotel room for both of them. She didn't have the money for a separate room. During the night, she submitted to his sexual advances, her affidavit said.
|
|
jj
New Arrival
Posts: 5
|
Post by jj on May 15, 2005 7:38:12 GMT -5
The city refused an open records request from the Press on the investigation, but a letter from the city attorney's office asked for a state attorney general's opinion on the release of documents. The letter stated in part that "subsequent allegations of sexual assault surfaced," but there were no charges filed. When the incident became public in 1998, a mayoral spokesman said an investigation concluded that no crimes had been committed, although there was misconduct and Lanier had "dealt with it sternly."
One of those leaping to Kahan's defense was JFA's Clements, who was reported in the media to be dismissing the victim advocate's actions with a crime victim as nothing more than "consensual sex."
Kahan's former boss says that a number of other crime victims complained about Kahan for the way he operated his city office, and for an alleged attitude about victims who indicated they were not interested in becoming members of Clements's Justice For All.
From 1998 until his retirement last June, Don Hollingsworth served as Mayor Lee Brown's director of public safety and drug policy, and was responsible for overseeing the city's victim advocate's office.
Hollingsworth and Brown were just assuming their positions when the scandal broke about Kahan's sex with the woman. Hollingsworth indicated that Brown considered replacing Kahan but knew JFA was influential. "Justice For All is a strong political endorsement -- I didn't really care because I'm not really political -- but there was the wind in the wave that said, you know, 'You can't treat this guy like this.' I felt that there were people protecting him."
Hollingsworth says Kahan was upset that the public safety director closely supervised him. Kahan also was ordered to get prior approval for any public statements.
"We opposed him going down to Huntsville to do the executions -- not to accompany the victim's family and support them, but getting in front of the cameras there. Sometimes he wouldn't even identify himself as the mayor's advocate, but just as 'victim advocate Andy Kahan.' There's some taxpayers who don't agree with his position on the death penalty, and we didn't want him taking a stand publicly."
Hollingsworth says he found out that Kahan focused on high-profile cases and devoted less attention to victims of crimes that didn't attract publicity. Material supplied by Kahan lists his accomplishments on behalf of victims and says his office has "received national recognition on television and news shows" such as CNN, 48 Hours, The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour, Court TV and 20/20. "He's self-promoting. He saw himself as a national figure," Hollingsworth says. "He was more about Andy than the mayor or Houston."
And some minority victims complained that Kahan didn't much care about their problems, his former boss says. "The sense that I got was that he was only advocating for those people who were in line with the Justice For All philosophy." Hollingsworth says he counseled Kahan on several occasions and formally reprimanded him once.
As part of his job, Kahan also appears before the parole board to protest the release of some criminals. Bill Habern, an attorney who specializes in parole matters, says Kahan will "stir up a cloud of dust." However, he believes Kahan is largely ineffective in parole matters because he'll use unverified hearsay reports and rumors. "He'll cause more harm than good because it makes him look ridiculous," Habern says. "He's one of those guys that's got a big hat and no cows."
Oliver Spellman, who took Hollingsworth's position as Kahan's acting supervisor a few months ago, says his oversight of Kahan is no different from that with any other city employee. "Andy gets rave reviews from a lot of people," and he has a tough job dealing with a sensitive group of people, Spellman says.
"I'm sure there could be concern that he advocates stronger for Justice For All than he does for other groups," Spellman says. "We just have to make sure that Justice For All is not dominating his activities."
Spellman points out that Kahan serves on boards or committees of several victim organizations such as Parents of Murdered Children and the county's Inter-Agency Victims Council.
However, the other groups are hardly political activists -- none of them had ever campaigned the way Justice For All did in the last election season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice For All is actually a three-armed effort that includes a political action committee of its own and the Justice For All Alliance.
The alliance is the part that works with victims. It just received a grant of $65,000 from the governor's office to have crime victims' statements filmed professionally so that they can protest paroles, even until death. Another $104,000 has been requested to continue the project.
Justice For All and its PAC can't receive such grants. The alliance has a separate accounting and a separate phone line, but it's Clements's voice on all answering machines. And it's her voice that many officeholders -- particularly judges and legislators -- fear, especially on the campaign trail.
Gary Polland found out about the wrath of JFA when he left his six-year chairmanship of the county GOP to run for the state senate. Polland says he went in for an endorsement screening session at JFA last year. Present were Clements, Hubbarth and Kim Ogg, a JFA board member who worked with Kahan at City Hall.
Polland says he agreed with virtually everything the group advocated, even knowing the strong JFA ties of his Republican primary election opponent, Kyle Janek. "I thought we had a real good session. They didn't endorse me, but in a race like that, often you go with what you know."
Months later, the candidate was stunned to see some of the most vicious campaign attack ads ever -- JFA-coordinated assaults targeting him. Among them was a radio commercial about his appellate brief filed for a sex offender:
"Veteran police and child abuse counselors are moved to tears, Gary Polland is moved to greed. He takes taxpayer money to represent this monster."
"It was horrible," says Polland. "I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'What did I do to deserve this?' " He notes that Republican judges had asked him to handle some appeals, and he'd accepted.
Polland says only about 10 percent of his legal practice is criminal defense work, yet Justice For All portrayed the conservative "as somehow being hostile to law enforcement, hostile to victims and pro-criminal because, as part of my practice, I had represented people accused of committing crimes."
Some mailouts and TV ads even featured photos of his clients who were black. "I showed this to friends around the country and they called it the Texas equivalent of the Willie Horton attack. It was racist, absolutely."
The onslaught succeeded, turning a close race into a rout. "They just annihilated me," says Polland. He believes the group is sending a message to attorneys with political aspirations: Don't ever represent controversial criminal defendants.
Polland notes that the ads had nothing to do with crime victims. "Victims' rights?" Polland laughs. "I'm a victim of Justice For All."
Some political veterans believe the JFA-inspired butchering of the GOP's former county chairman will be a sore spot in the party for years and that the backlash could cost Janek in the general election.
In Austin, at least a few legislators also tell of growing weary of what they call grandstanding by JFA's Rusty Hubbarth. "The best way to get a bill defeated is to have Justice For All support it," says one insider. "You get things done by talking to people and building coalitions."
Justice For All has tried to expand nationally, but membership seems to be stalled at around 4,000, nearly all of it local. Some veterans in the victims' rights community are critical of Kahan and Clements but do not want to be quoted on the record. Justice For All still walks tall in Houston, and leaders can carry a big stick for critics.
One complaint is that JFA goes over the line. Law professor Dow says the group's credibility is lacking. "My basic view is that organizations have an obligation to be faithful to the truth."
Skeptics wonder if the group is past its prime. "The whole concept of Justice For All was that there was this carelessly liberal law enforcement and judicial branch," JFA critic Ray Hill says. "If that situation ever existed, it certainly doesn't anymore. Go down to the Harris County Courthouse and find me a lenient prosecutor or judge. You can't."
Polland, who refers to Andy Kahan as a "sleazeball," says some JFA members told him they regretted the brutal campaign ads. "This is what happens when people get involved with these organizations who don't have the best interests of the organization at heart," Polland believes. "Justice For All started out as a group with noble goals, and it's been subverted."
Psychologist Doerfler says victim support groups serve a wonderful purpose, especially in the beginning, "but sometimes they just get stuck. When we are afraid or continue to feel pain, we have a tendency to want to control -- not only ourselves but others. I think at that point that people start verging from something that is an attempt to reorder their lives to something that's maladaptive and pathological."
Kate Lowenstein of Murder Victims For Reconciliation points out that her group and JFA concur on most issues, so she wonders why Clements can't just agree to disagree on capital punishment. Lowenstein says that testifying at a hearing for her father's killer was a horrible experience, and she understands the anger that drives Justice For All.
"We're not heroes or better people or anything like that," says Lowenstein. "How we're handling this isn't any better -- it's not the right way, but it's a way that needs to be respected."
|
|
jj
New Arrival
Posts: 5
|
Post by jj on May 15, 2005 7:38:53 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by DaveParkinson on May 15, 2005 9:02:35 GMT -5
Thanks for posting the articles on Justice Y'all; Joy!
In reading them over; one thing that I find particularly disturbing are the serious security breaches perpetrated by members of Justice For All....
" a bizarre prison tour incident, have some wondering just how deeply the group's reach extends. Robert Fratta was sent to death row after his Harris County conviction in 1996 for arranging the murder of his wife. In June 2000, he looked up from inside his high-security prison cell at a startling sight: Staring back at him through his cell window were Lex and Betty Baquer, the parents of his murdered wife. Accompanying them was what looked like a lynch mob, Fratta says.The convict says Betty Baquer pursed her lips as if to spit on him, which he avoided by moving to the side. Fratta claims the tour group taunted and harassed him.While Hollywood has depicted similar dramatic confrontations, in reality they are virtually nonexistent -- such encounters are serious violations of prison security and TDCJ policy. It's unclear just how the Baquers got to Fratta's cell, but someone knew exactly what he or she was doing. Another woman who has toured death row notes that the only stairway to Fratta's second-floor cell is through a locked door. Fratta says a guard led the Justice For All group straight to him; prison officials say the guard was distracted by JFA members while others sneaked away to Fratta's cell."
I have to wonder how a group like JFA (or any group at all) is able to commit such a BLATANT violation of TDCJ prison security. The individuals involved in this breach were not only provided access to the prison; but if TDCJs claims ARE in fact true that prison guards were 'distracted' as members of JFA snuck their way up to Fratta's cell -
The question then must be asked - HOW does a civilian or a civilian group on a 'death row tour' know exactly where these prisoners are housed - which of hundreds of DR prisoners is in which cell; how to navigate their way through a maximum security facility; knowing exactly which doors were secured or not; all in the few seconds that a guard was 'distracted.' I can't believe they wandered around amongst hundreds of DR prisoners in different blocks of the prison; for hours until they miraculously stumble across the individual that the group / family had so much enmity towards.
This is an unbelievably serious breach of security. Am I to understand that someone at the department of corrections not only provided access to civilians into restricted areas; but actually advised them as to the floorplan; or provided a map of the floor plans and the location of the prisoners housed therein ?
Wow. Does the mob know? Do gang members know ? Do terrorists know? How much does it cost for this access? What Texas lawmaker or TDCJ official does one approach for this kind of access...?
As far as I know there has been little coverage on this or pressure on TDCJ or lawmakers to account for how their security was so greviously breached.
|
|
jj
New Arrival
Posts: 5
|
Post by jj on May 15, 2005 10:34:29 GMT -5
TDCJ spokesman Larry Todd says the incident "is unacceptable on our part. It's unfortunate, and we don't tolerate it."
As usual things were covered up and kept quiet.
another note on Scott Nowell who wrote this article. He spent time in prison and got this job when he got out. When this article came out, JFA headed by Dianne Clements started a writing campaign to the Houston Chronicle wanting him fired because they didn't think someone like him should be working for a paper like theirs. When it was found out that they were writing these letters, a campaign was started in support of Scott to keep his job. As we all see, he still works there so they can't reach everyone yet.........
|
|
|
Post by CCADP on May 15, 2005 14:41:58 GMT -5
Hey - this is funny - from Richard Cartwright's UNCENSORED From Texas Death Row that came out today. He is writing this on the 10th of this month -
"I've gotten some hate-mail these past few weeks and I just open it, read 'em and throw them away. So much hate and anger in people's hearts who call me a monster!!! Now that is just crazy and out of line, but I understand that it is to try and hurt me. Being murdered, state sanctioned murdered, but murdered nonetheless, so if that is not enough for y'all than I can't help you. May 19th is right around the corner so hold onto your hats and find something better to do with your time."
|
|
|
Post by CCADP on May 15, 2005 15:48:54 GMT -5
more from their message board :
personally favor Electrocution as a form of execution...the notion that executions should be painless is ridiculous in my own oppinion
My vote was for the gas chamber since there were no choices for a more painful execution. The gas chamber at least makes the mutts gasp, feel a horrible burning sensation in thier lungs, they get an instant migrane headache and in some cases try to hold thier breath which is actually worse because when they can no longer hold thier breath, they take in a deep gulp and that is a real bit*ch....
You forgot to include my favorite choice.....Burning at the stake.Nothing beats a good pig cooking ya know.
Agaveman and I favor big microwaves and live cremation, respectively. (The former, as prescribed by law, should be set to "Popcorn.")
Cowboy Here. "STRING EM UP"
Live cremation is best.
1,500 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours, then to the pulverizer. You can fit the cremains in a Wheaties box and hand it to the murderer's parents.
The KGB used to take traitors, strap them to a metal tray, and insert them slowly into an incernator. The event was flimed, along with the screams of the executed, as a warning to any potential future traitors.
OK, something more humane, like big microwaves. I'll compromise and settle for the self-cleaning variety
Public Stoning and Crucifixion are my personal favorites
|
|
|
Post by tulla63 on May 16, 2005 6:41:08 GMT -5
more from their message board : personally favor Electrocution as a form of execution...the notion that executions should be painless is ridiculous in my own oppinion My vote was for the gas chamber since there were no choices for a more painful execution. The gas chamber at least makes the mutts gasp, feel a horrible burning sensation in thier lungs, they get an instant migrane headache and in some cases try to hold thier breath which is actually worse because when they can no longer hold thier breath, they take in a deep gulp and that is a real bit*ch.... You forgot to include my favorite choice.....Burning at the stake.Nothing beats a good pig cooking ya know. Agaveman and I favor big microwaves and live cremation, respectively. (The former, as prescribed by law, should be set to "Popcorn.") Cowboy Here. "STRING EM UP" Live cremation is best. 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours, then to the pulverizer. You can fit the cremains in a Wheaties box and hand it to the murderer's parents. The KGB used to take traitors, strap them to a metal tray, and insert them slowly into an incernator. The event was flimed, along with the screams of the executed, as a warning to any potential future traitors. OK, something more humane, like big microwaves. I'll compromise and settle for the self-cleaning variety Public Stoning and Crucifixion are my personal favorites Individuals who find such pleasure in talking about torture, and gory details that describes sickening and revoltingly painful deaths has to have MUCH greater and serious personal problems than what we can see on that "message-board". It has to be something SERIOUSLY wrong with you just to be able to fantasize in this manner. To describe evil that creatively, shows what their minds are made of, and I am NOT talking about the very few real murder victims families here. I'm talking about what seems to me to be the majority - those who are there to feed their sick addictions to evil. Adolf Hitler would be envious!! He would feel like a complete failure!! Its my guess that there is something fundamentally wrong from the very beginning and that this pro message board is just a harmless way for sick minds to get off steam. The reason I call it harmless, is because it IS harmless as long as they have their message board to vent on. I never had a problem with the contact visits I used to have with a death sentenced prisoner (the VERY dangerous people, remember). A face to face encounter with any of these perverts, would be an entirely different matter though. ..... I'd be damned if I met one of the perverted individuals from this pro message board in a dark alley - unless I was sitting in a Ferrarri.... That was my rant for today. Seems like I needed to get off some steam too! Love, Turid
|
|
|
Post by LizzyB on May 16, 2005 9:12:21 GMT -5
Individuals who find such pleasure in talking about torture, and gory details that describes sickening and revoltingly painful deaths has to have MUCH greater and serious personal problems than what we can see on that "message-board". It has to be something SERIOUSLY wrong with you just to be able to fantasize in this manner. To describe evil that creatively, shows what their minds are made of, and I am NOT talking about the very few real murder victims families here. I'm talking about what seems to me to be the majority - those who are there to feed their sick addictions to evil. Adolf Hitler would be envious!! He would feel like a complete failure!! Its my guess that there is something fundamentally wrong from the very beginning and that this pro message board is just a harmless way for sick minds to get off steam. The reason I call it harmless, is because it IS harmless as long as they have their message board to vent on. I never had a problem with the contact visits I used to have with a death sentenced prisoner (the VERY dangerous people, remember). A face to face encounter with any of these perverts, would be an entirely different matter though. ..... I'd be damned if I met one of the perverted individuals from this pro message board in a dark alley - unless I was sitting in a Ferrarri.... That was my rant for today. Seems like I needed to get off some steam too! Love, Turid Yes. There are some people there who need serious professional help--and the group over all is damaging the people who view them as a support group. It is not a support group. It is a hate cult that fuels and feeds off each other. This is morally wrong. It is frightening. The anger and hate are eating them up. Love, Lizzy
|
|
|
Post by CCADP on May 16, 2005 9:48:58 GMT -5
Thats exactly it! Where are all the discussions on their board in support of crime victims; offering them options, help, legal and civil support; ways to reduce crime etc? Anti Death penalty activists are always accused of not caring about the victims. HOW is the rhetoric they display helpful to victims ? At the VICTIMS AND VICTIMS ISSUES section of this board; there are dozens of links to victims support groups and organizations helpful in both supporting victims and in attempting to stop further victimization of innocent people. (these are not related to the DP). Visit the victims section for more - but here is a small idea l of a few of the groups in the US who are doing serious work on behalf of and in support of victims of violent criime : National Center for Victims of Crime www.ncvc.orgNational Organization for Victim Assistance www.try-nova.orgWhat to do When the Police Leave: A Guide to the First Days of Traumatic Loss www.willsworld.comThe Compassionate Friends www.thecompassionatefriends.orgSafe Campuses Now This crime prevention awareness and education program is staffed by student volunteers. Its Web site offers safety strategies, crime alerts, and other resources. www.safecampusesnow.org/Security on Campus, Inc. This nonprofit organization works to prevent campus violence and crimes and to assist campus victims in the enforcement of their legal rights. www.securityoncampus.org/Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) ASCA helps survivors of child abuse transform their self-identities from that of victim to that of survivor and, ultimately, thriver. The site includes resource materials and guidelines for establishing ASCA support networks. www.ascasupport.org/Childhelp USA®<br>Childhelp USA® is dedicated to the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The Web site includes information on nationwide facilities, helpful links, Childhelp programs, the National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD), and child abuse reports. www.childhelpusa.orgJacob Wetterling Foundation The foundation works to protect children from sexual exploitation and abduction. The Web site provides information in sections tailored to parents and caregivers, educators and community leaders, kids, and teens. www.jwf.org/LOCATER®, Lost Child Alert Technology Resource LOCATER, a national program from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to distribute advanced computer systems and a cutting-edge web-based program to law enforcement agencies to rapidly distribute images and information about missing-child cases in poster formats. www.locaterposters.org/The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) The Center works to locate and recover missing children and raises public awareness about ways to prevent child abduction, molestation, and sexual exploitation. NCMEC offers a 24-hour, toll-free hotline,1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678, TDD: 800-826-7653), a CyberTipline to collect leads from the public, www.missingkids.orgPrevent Child Abuse America Prevent Child Abuse America promotes prevention strategies as well as providing advocacy, programs, resources, and answers to commonly asked questions about child abuse. www.preventchildabuse.orgWitness Justice Witness Justice provides trauma victims and their loved ones with resources that promote physical, psychological, and spiritual healing. The site features access to experts, message boards, and other print and electronic victim resources. www.witnessjustice.org/National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) The law professors and law students of NCVLI advocate for victims in the courts in cases concerning victim participation, privacy, and protection. This educational organization is dedicated to promoting a fair and balanced criminal justice system through legal education, legal scholarship, legal information resources, and legal advocacy. www.lclark.edu/org/ncvli/Trial Lawyers for Public Justice This public interest law firm handles civil cases on behalf of victims. Cases involve several areas, including consumer protection and preservation of the civil justice system. www.tlpj.orgThe National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) NCVC offers advocacy, victim services, referrals, training, and a virtual library. NCVC programs include a legislative database of state and federal victims' rights statutes and information on the Victims' Bill of Rights. www.ncvc.orgCriminal Crisis Response Initiative (CCRI) Funded by OVC, CCRI is a multidisciplinary training and technical assistance program designed to help communities meet the needs of the victims of an act of criminal mass victimization. www.jijs.org/ccriNational Crisis Response Team – National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) NOVA can send a crisis response team to any community in crisis to help local decisionmakers, train local caregivers, and lead one or more group crisis intervention sessions. www.trynova.org/crt/PromoteTruth.org Promote Truth provides support and information about sexual violence issues for teens and their communities. Their Web site offers information and online services, including anonymous use of message boards for targeted audiences: teens, parents, teachers, and other professionals. www.promotetruth.org/The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence This national nonprofit organization is dedicated to reducing the costs and consequences of partner violence at work. CAEPV also offers information, materials, and advice on policies, programs, legal issues, and legislation. www.caepv.org/Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute The Institute provides information on many areas of family violence and sexual assault, maintains a clearinghouse, and publishes a quarterly bulletin. www.fvsai.org/Victims looking for serious attention, assistance and support please visit some of the links above. We also provide victims support groups links in various countries. Please visit.
|
|
|
Post by Prometheus on May 16, 2005 12:28:32 GMT -5
From the Christian Science Monitor : Still, polls indicate that the death penalty is still widely accepted. "It's the will of the people," says Dianne Clements of Justice for All, a pro-death-penalty group. Popular support, she says is what "drives - and should drive - the law of the land." *********** TRACY from CCADP says : Wow! If its popular; that means its right! Interesting logic. It must make it easier; when you only have to read the polls to know where you stand on an ethical issue. Well that explains an awful lot. ..doesn't it!
|
|
|
Post by tulla63 on May 16, 2005 15:17:17 GMT -5
Tracy, Thank you for your above post asking where on that other board are links to victims and victims services. I have browsed the other board, there is a link that says "victims voices" or something like that, it profiles one case if I remember correctly and the case it profiles is directly related to those running the board. I understand that as victim survivors we tend to have tunnel vision and focus on our own cases but here on this board i have browsed through your links and have found a variety of helpful websites. i want to say thank you for putting them up and thank you to anyone else who has offered assistance under the victims thread, it is something that is much needed. THANK YOU!!! Ooops.... I found a victim's list under "Victims Voices", which explains Dianne Clements' interest for one of my friends' death sentence. As I told some of you previously, I was present in the court room when he was found guilty. Dianne Clements was pacing in the corridors all day like a vulture waiting for her prey. The sad part was that as I can remember, Dianne Clements was also the one who was gleeing in Houston Chronicle the next day. Over the death sentence given to a seriously mentally ill person who was diagnosed since childhood. The sad part is of course that all the media articles they put up on their "victims voice page" regarding my friend are full of errors. What should be said wasn't said. A lot was said that were just plain old lies and extremely important issues weren't at all addressed. But this is nothing new to the most of you. I bet most people here have experienced the same. Speak about an objective press! Love, Turid
|
|
|
Post by CCADP on May 16, 2005 15:38:01 GMT -5
I'm glad you found the victims links provided here at CCADP helpful Pam ! I will continue to seek out helpful resources like those and post them in the victims section.
It seems on the other board; ALL you will find is a lot of rhetoric about the death penalty; killing more people; and killing 'em quicker.
As a poster on this board said on another thread; "A victims survivor deserves a LOT more support than just a ticket to an execution!"
Visit the Victims Support Resources; arranged by country; above - to visit organizations and support groups doing serious work on behalf of victims.
|
|
jj
New Arrival
Posts: 5
|
Post by jj on May 16, 2005 16:10:09 GMT -5
The sad part is of course that all the media articles they put up on their "victims voice page" regarding my friend are full of errors. What should be said wasn't said. A lot was said that were just plain old lies and extremely important issues weren't at all addressed. But this is nothing new to the most of you. I bet most people here have experienced the same. Speak about an objective press! Love, Turid Oh yeah, last summer my husband had an evidentiary hearing in Federal Court on one issue.... the paper reported other things that pertained to his case (very unobjectively) and didn't mention the issue that he was there for.
|
|