The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP) is taking its next step in the formation of a Blueprint for Victims Services: the convening of a Workgroup to review what GOCCP learned from four Victims’ Town Halls in 2010.
During an all-day session in Annapolis on May 23, GOCCP staff will hear from approximately 60 representatives of service and advocacy groups who will make up a Crime Victims “Blueprint” Workgroup. This Workgroup will discuss issues and ideas stemming from testimony presented at four Town Halls for Victims in 2010. At those sessions, crime victims, family members, and representatives of service providers testified regarding their positive and negative interactions with the government throughout the criminal justice process. The Town Hall sessions were held in Columbia, Salisbury, Silver Spring and Frederick.
The resulting testimony was compiled and analyzed by GOCCP and the following priority areas were identified for further research: Domestic Violence, Child Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault, Stalking/ Cyber Stalking, Homicide, Drunk Driving, Human Trafficking, First Responders, Restitution, Sex Offenders, and Geographical Distribution of Services.
The Workgroup will review the information gathered and organized by GOCCP and participants will help ensure the final document reflects the recommendations made by crime victims. This feedback and discussion will be added to the “Voices for Victims”: A Statewide Blueprint for Action. That final report will be released in the Fall and will be designed to benefit the public as the O’Malley-Brown Administration works to improve public safety and services for victims of crime.
The Workgroup meeting will be held in Annapolis at the Joint Committee Hearing Room on Monday, May 23, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The Joint Hearing Room is on the first floor of the Legislative Services Building, next to Lawyers’ Mall.
