Crime victims rights came about in Ohio and nationally through hard work, passion, dedication and determination, all characteristics of the people who continue to advocate for them today, a retired advocate told participants in a Victim’s Rights Week Seminar.

The Miami County Victim Witness program operated through the County Prosecutor’s Office put on the seminar, held April 13-14 in Troy. The victim witness program has held the seminar for those working in the courts, law enforcement and related professions for more than a dozen years

Bruce Adams, retired crime victim advocate from Ohio, focused April 14 on the crime victims movement, which he said resulted “from hundreds of thousands of people who said, ‘This is not right in how you treat victims of crime.’”

Previous movements that opened doors for victims’ rights, he said, were:

- Civil Rights Movement, 1963-1975

- Anti-War Movement, 1967-1972

- Women’s Movement, 1970-Present

- Law and Order Movement, 1968-Present.

Adams traced the victims’ rights movement’s beginnings in Ohio to 1972 with several advances over the years.

Among forces behind change were victims who wouldn’t report crimes. “They felt like they were treated like a piece of meat,” Adams said. There also were those working in the system who knew it was broken and saw the need “for more attention to justice,” he said.

Among legal changes contributing to rights was the 1975 Good Samaritan bill that allowed those killed or injured while preventing crime to receive a monetary award.

That was followed by crime victim compensation laws, restitution requirements and victim impact statements before the offender was sentenced

The victim witness offices were opened within prosecutor’s offices in the state in the 1980s.

In the years since, additions to rights have been seen in the juvenile courts, state laws incorporated into one Ohio Revised Code chapter and a constitutional amendment passed by voters in Ohio for victims’ rights.

The crime victims’ movement today is institutionalized in society and assistance offices are seeking increased funding because of increased demands.

Among the increased demands being seen are assistance for victims of human trafficking, teens and the elderly, gang related offenses and identity theft.

Among the biggest needs remaining for crime victims is a yet unattained federal constitutional amendment that will ensure rights are not ignored and victims have sanctions if their rights are violated, Adams