Terry Goddard Presents 2010 Victims Rights Awards
May 172010
Attorney General Terry Goddard today presented his Offices 2010 Distinguished Service Awards to victims rights leaders in Arizona for their outstanding service to crime victims.
Today we pay special tribute to those who provide services to crime victims and have shown leadership, innovation, and commitment to improving services, Goddard said. These men and women are shining examples of the extraordinary efforts made every day to be sure that victims are treated with fairness, dignity and respect.”
Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca W. Berch and U. S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke also addressed the honorees at todays ceremony at the Carnegie Center, adjacent to the Attorney Generals Office in Phoenix.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Roland Steinle received the Distinguished Service Award for Innovative Practices for his unique program in the collection of delinquent restitution payments for crime victims. The new programs inspiration came from the process for collecting late child support payments in family court, which has been highly successful. The concept has received national attention, and Judge Steinle has been invited to Washington D.C. to speak about the program to the National Center for Victims of Crime. To date, the Restitution Court has ordered over $200,000 in delinquent restitution for crime victims.
Goddard also presented the Public Policy Distinguished Service Award to Bobbi Sudberry from the Arizona Coalition against Domestic Violence and co-founder of Kaitys Way. Bobbi lost her daughter tragically to dating violence and has been instrumental in getting Kaitys law enacted in honor of her daughter, Kaitlyn.
Distinguished Service Awards for Leadership were presented to Dr. Neil Websdale, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northern Arizona University, and Sue Rutherford, executive director for the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) of Arizona.
In 2008, through a Governors Office initiative to protect domestic violence victims, Dr. Websdale created the fatality review teams to make system changes that would safeguard victims and prevent domestic violence-related deaths. Dr. Websdale has authored books on domestic violence, worked as a past national director of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review initiative and helped craft legislation giving review teams legal protection.
Sue Rutherford was instrumental in creating the Yavapai Chapter of the Trauma Intervention Program of Arizona. This group of trained volunteers provides emotional aid and practical support to victims and their families following a traumatic event. Additionally, she implemented the first automatic call system for TIPs in the country. Working with various agencies, they developed a system where specific types of calls are automatically dispatched by the 911 system at the same time police and fire are dispatched. This has tremendously improved response time.
The Distinguished Service Award for Service Collaboration was presented to the F.B.I. Phoenix Divisions Squad C-4. Supervisor Special Agent Julie A. Halferty of this squad formed the Securities Fraud and Mortgage Fraud Task Force to address the plight of crime victims. These multidisciplinary teams, comprised of law enforcement agencies, the I.R.S., lending institutions, the US Postal services and the Arizona Corporation Commission have coordinated efforts to combat mortgage and securities fraud that has swept Arizona.
Finally, the Distinguished Service Award for Advocacy and Direct Service was presented to Pamela Turner for her work with the Northern Arizona Center against Sexual Assault (NACASA). In 2001, she led the charge to establish NACASA, the first program of its kind in this region to serve three counties, the Navajo and Hopi nations and the Grand Canyon National park.
To reach the Attorney Generals Office of Victim Services, please contact victimservices@azag.gov or (602) 542-5025. Additional information is available at the Attorney Generals Office Web site, www.azag.gov.
Duration : 0:9:24
http://www.mikerosslaw.com | Mike Ross Law. Ready to help find a solution to your domestic violence problems.
http://www.MNFamilyMatters.com Minnesota Divorce Lawyer M. Sue Wilson describes her experience handling complex and high net worth divorce cases. Her litigation talent, ability, and reputation mean that most of the cases handled by the M. Sue Wilson Law Offices settle outside of court, saving clients the headache of drawn-out court cases.
The goal of CUT IT OUT is to build awareness of domestic violence through posters and brochures displayed in salons. Salon professionals will also be trained to recognize warning signs and safely refer clients to get help. The Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence will conduct training sessions at Arizona’s 43 cosmetology schools and hair shows.
The grand opening of the Empire Beauty School in Avondale was the setting for the launch of a community outreach campaign called Empire Gives Back to support the fight against domestic violence. The Empire Education Group has adopted the CUT IT OUT Program nationwide to support this effort by educating its own students to recognize signs of domestic abuse and safely refer those clients to people and resources that can help them. The CUT IT OUT training sessions will be taught in each of Empires nine schools in Arizona by representatives from the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Nancy Robertson of Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) addresses AG’s news conference on prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing guns.
Starting this week, Walmart will display End the Silence, End the Violence awareness posters in the womens bathrooms of all of its 91 stores statewide. The poster features information on the 24-hour domestic violence resources available to Arizonans. This includes access to emergency shelter services as well as legal assistance, case management and counseling. Attorney General Terry Goddard; Michael Bender, Regional Vice President of Walmart; and Allie Bones, Executive Director of the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, announced the new statewide domestic violence prevention campaign, End the Silence, End the Violence.
Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, spoke with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Survivor’s Caucus on Oct. 16, 2009 about the forthcoming legislation from the Attorney General’s office, and federal stimulus efforts to eradicate domestic violence.
Premier John Brumby today launched Victoria’s visionary 10-year plan to stamp out violence against women. Premier Brumby said the new plan, A Right to Respect: Victorias Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women 2010 – 2020, would continue Victoria’s leadership in tackling violence against women through a whole-of-community approach to address its underlying causes.