“Reshaping the future — honoring the past.”
That is the theme of this week as officials around the nation recognize the victims of crime.
This week the Barton County Commission approved setting it as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Barton County Attorney’s Office Victim Advocate Camila Komarek noted those victims are not just far away, either.
She told the commissioners that there continue to be plenty of victims of crime right here at home.
In 2010, the County Attorney’s Office had 409 criminal cases, 1,972 traffic cases, 144 juvenile cases and 49 care and treatment cases filed in Barton County.
There were 302 new victims of crime in 2010 and so far in 2011, as of early this week, there were 134 more criminal and juvenile cases filed, involving 87 new victims, Komarek reported.
Each year, some 20 million Americans will be victims of crime, she added.
According to information from the U.S. Department of Justice, there is an important message in this year’s theme:
“This year’s theme — Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past — pays tribute to the millions of crime victims over the decades who have summoned the strength to rebuild their shattered lives, families, and communities, one step at a time. Similarly, it honors the victim service community whose members have walked alongside these victims, responding to their courage with unwavering commitment and skillful guidance.
“Today, our greatest challenge may be to match, if not exceed, the legacy of past achievements in service to victims. The Victims of Crime Act of 1984, the Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004, and the many laws at federal and state levels stand as benchmarks of the first quarter century of the victim rights movement.”