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Letter to the Editor

Providing victims of crime necessary tools
Like every member of law enforcement, I’ve unfortunately had to meet great people under terrible circumstances.

I’ve been first on the scene to talk with crime victims who, through no fault of their own, find themselves thrust into the criminal justice process.

Two years ago, Wisconsin adopted a crime victims’ rights constitutional amendment, known as Marsy’s Law.

Marsy’s Law gives crime victims a stronger voice with important rights – like the right to be notified, the right to be heard and the right to simply know their rights.

To ensure we were living up to the high ideals of Marsy’s Law, my office and a number of other community stakeholders recently held a “mapping exercise.”

More than 30 of us sat down over two days to literally “map” the path of a victim of crime through the entire criminal justice process.

We looked at who victims would interact with at each “touch point” of the process – from the time a crime is reported all the way through post-sentencing proceedings.

Our goal was simple – give crime victims the best experience possible as they deal with some of the worst moments of their lives.

And, make sure victims have all the tools they need to fully make use of their rights under Marsy’s Law.

It was an eye-opening exercise for all of us, and I am certain we are now better equipped to help victims get on the road to becoming survivors and thrivers.

– Todd Delain, Brown County Sheriff

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