Being a victim of a crime is frightening and unsettling for the millions of Americans who unfortunately experience it each year. Progress has been made in improving the rights of crime victims. Victims and survivors of homicide, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence and other serious offenses have transformed their victimization into a vehicle for ensuring that victims of crime receive justice, meaningful assistance and compassionate treatment.
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The mission of Crime Stoppers of Houston’s Victim Services and Advocacy Program is to promote safety, healing, justice and rights for crime victims and survivors.
- Advocacy In Action
- Annual Events
- Know Your Rights
- Legislative Successes
- Resources for Victims and Survivors
- Law Enforcement Victim Services Departments
In 2021, Crime Stoppers of Houston identified a major gap in post-conviction advocacy services. To meet that need, we established our first of its kind Victim Impact Video Project which provides victims the opportunity to record their story in video format and submit that video to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles so that their story can be heard at all future parole hearings whether they are there in person or not. To date, we have created 32 Victim Impact Statement Videos – 20 in our first round of videos filmed in 2021, and an additional 12 this year in 2023. Of the videos that we have already filmed, several have been used in Parole Hearings across the State of Texas and in all cases that they were used, parole was denied. As the word spreads about this important project, our team has worked hard to create a scalable process.
Join us for our annual events:
- National Night of Remembrance: Every September
- Holiday Memorial Remembrance Tree Ceremony: Every December
Do you know your rights in Texas? As a victim of violent crime in Texas, you have the following rights:
• The right to be notified of all court proceedings including cancellation and rescheduling.
• The right to receive information about the Texas Crime Victim Compensation Fund that provides financial
assistance to victims of violent crimes.
• The right to have the magistrate take the safety of the victim or their family into consideration as an element in
fixing the amount of bail for the accused.
• If you so request, the right to information about procedures in the criminal investigation of your case by law enforcement officials, and about general procedures in the criminal justice system, including plea bargaining, restitution, appeals and parole from the prosecutor’s office.
• The right to complete a Victim Impact Statement, detailing the emotional, physical and financial impact that the crime has had on you and your family, and to have that statement considered by the judge at sentencing and by the parole board were able to reach 921 people statewide.
The Victim Services and Advocacy Program works tirelessly to fight for necessary legislative changes. Since its inception in 2018, the program has seen the following legislative successes:
• House Bill 2079 and Senate Bill 2210, also known as the ‘Sir Romeo’ bill, which allows families whose children are
victims of attempted murder to apply for relocation expenses via the Crime Victims Compensation Program
• House Bill 1769, also known as ‘Clear Alert’, which allows law enforcement to send out alerts for missing adults when criminal
conduct is involved
• Senate Bill 4372, also known as the Summer Camp Safety bill, which enhances the overall safety of campers and families
• Senate Bill 6, also known as the “Damon Allen Act” eliminates PR bonds for defendants charged with particular violent
crimes.
