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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 1982, the President's Task Force on Victims of
3Crime envisioned a national commitment to a more equitable and
4supportive response to victims; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The first Crime Victims Week (later renamed
6National Crime Victims' Rights Week) was started to celebrate
7the victims' rights movement; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Crime and violence can leave harm on any person
9and community, regardless of age, national origin, race, creed,
10religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigration, or economic
11status; and
 
12    WHEREAS, A new movement of diverse survivors of crime from
13communities most harmed and least helped has joined together in
14Illinois and throughout the country to create healing
15communities and shape public policy; and
 
16    WHEREAS, For too long the voices and experiences of these
17diverse survivors have been ignored, leading to policies and
18increased justice system spending that fails to meet the needs
19of crime victims or stop the cycle of crime; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Most victims do not get the kind of help needed to

 

 

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1heal; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Only 8 percent of all victims of violence receive
3direct assistance from a victim service agency, and this drops
4to 4 percent when the crime is unreported, the case for more
5than half of all violent crimes; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Crime survivors know best about the existing gaps
7to recovery and how to bridge them and understand what their
8communities need to be healthy and safe; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Crime survivors want a safety and justice system
10that works and prioritizes prevention, rehabilitation, and
11trauma recovery; and
 
12    WHEREAS, With the unwavering support of their communities,
13survivors are empowered to face their grief, loss, fear, anger,
14and hope, turning their healing into action; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Providing services that help victims and their
16communities recover stops the cycle of harm and supports
17thriving communities; and
 
18    WHEREAS, It is essential for crime survivors to have input
19and influence in discussions of public safety and criminal
20justice policy; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, National Crime Victims' Rights Week provides an
2opportunity to recommit to ensuring that all victims of crime,
3especially those who are from communities most impacted by
4crime, are policy stakeholders and provided with what they need
5to recover; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a flagship
7project of Alliance for Safety and Justice is dedicated to
8supporting the healing of survivors and the leadership they can
9provide to build safer and healthier communities; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Survivors Speak elevates the voices of diverse
11crime survivors to ensure their experiences shape public safety
12and justice policies; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we commend the work being done by Crime Survivors for Safety
16and Justice to prevent people from becoming victims and assist
17all survivors in recovering from crime and trauma; and be it
18further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice.