NCVLI remains on the frontlines of victims' rights protection as crime victims are forced to navigate the shifting legal reality during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This presentation will identify the key victims’ rights impacted by some of the justice system’s COVID-19 responses across the country and review legal strategies that individual victims’ attorneys and NCVLI are employing to help protect victims' rights in the current landscape.

presented by

Meg Garvin & Amy Liu

presented by

Geoff Kagan-Trenchard, J.D., Staff Attorney at the New York City Anti Violence Project

This training will address how the science behind the neurobiology of trauma can inform the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases -- from engaging with victims pre-trial and when they are on the stand testifying to presenting the case to the judge and jury, including the how, when and what of expert testimony.

presented by

Erin Greenawald, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Oregon DOJ

Access to justice requires competent legal advocacy, and yet too often victims of crime do not receive the legal representation that they need to protect their rights during the complex stages of criminal justice.  This presentation will provide attendees with an overview of how to assert and seek enforcement of crime victims' rights in a criminal case.  The presentation will identify the most common points in the criminal justice process when victims' rights are implicated, key motions victims’ attorneys may need to file, and some strategies to employ to protect victims' rights.

presented by

Terry Campos, J.D.

Affording crime victims their right to be heard at sentencing is often a crucial step for victims on their path to healing and finding justice.  Victims may exercise this right in a variety of ways, such as by making a written, oral or even recorded victim impact statement; or by filing a sentencing memorandum.

presented by

Terry Campos, J.D.

Crime victims often suffer immeasurable harm as a result of the crime. Restitution is one mechanism by which the criminal justice system can ensure that the perpetrators, not the victims, bear the burden of crime victims’ economic losses. Fortunately, every jurisdiction has laws in place addressing restitution, and dozens of jurisdictions provide victims with constitutional and statutory rights to full restitution in every case.

On August 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education’s new Title IX rule addressing gender-based violence on college campuses and K-12 schools went into effect.  The new rules limit schools’ ability to response to sexual harassment, gutting the rights of campus survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence, and bolstering the rights of the accused.

presented by

Cari Simon, Esq., Fierberg National Law Group

When the United States Supreme Court issues a decision―such as Miranda v. Arizona―announcing a new rule of law and overturning a criminal defendant's conviction, did that rule apply retroactively, calling into question the conviction of all other prisoners whose convictions were flawed by the same constitutional violation?

presented by

Tung Yin, J.D.

Victims of crime often seek out and receive assistance from a range of service providers, including attorneys, victim advocates, and medical specialists.  Each of these professionals can provide different and often-complementary types of assistance, information, support, and advice.

presented by

Rebecca S.T. Khalil, JD

Enhancing fairness and justice for victims requires a process of social change built on a balanced approach of legal advocacy, training & education, and public policy. 2020 marks 20 years since NCVLI began advancing victims' rights through that approach.