As the seat of government, Tallahassee frequently plays host to numerous recognition ceremonies. Few of these carry a more profound meaning than one to be held next week, in honor of the victims of crime.

The week of April 6-12 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and it will be my privilege to lead Florida’s commemorative service honoring crime victims. The service, to be held on Wednesday afternoon in the Cabinet meeting room, will welcome victims and family members, victim advocates and law enforcement personnel from across Florida. Governor Bush will join me in recognizing a criminal justice officer and a victim advocate who have performed extraordinary service to victims of crime.

It wasn’t so many years ago that the victims of crime were being short-changed. It was often said that the “criminal justice system” was out of balance, focusing almost entirely on the criminal and rarely on justice for the victims. That began to change when President Reagan signed the nation’s first Victims of Crime Act. Victims won again in 1988 when more than 90 percent of Florida voters added a Victims’ Bill of Rights to our state Constitution. Today, the Attorney General administers programs that channel more than close to $40 million a year for victims assistance and compensation.

But Victims’ Rights Week isn’t about government programs, it’s about people — those who suffer at the hands of criminals, and those who dedicate their lives to helping their fellow citizens in need.

The keynote speaker at next week’s ceremony will be Phyllis Samowitz of Golden Beach, who was a victim of one of the fastest-growing forms of crime in our state, identity theft. Ms. Samowitz can describe, in sobering detail, how the insidious crime of identify theft can turn a well-ordered life upside-down and take years to recover. More than 400 Floridians have complained about identify theft to our Fraud Hotline (1-866-9-NO-SCAM) since January, and I am pursuing legislation targeting this underhanded practice.

Governor Bush and I will also be honoring Lt. Sherry Schlueter, a supervisor in the Special Victims and Family Crimes Section of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Lt. Schlueter founded a private, non-profit program to assist victims of domestic violence or stalking.

The Victim Advocate of the Year is Dr. Jay Whitworth, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Jacksonville. Dr. Whitworth founded and is executive director of Children’s Crisis Center, Inc., and serves as the medical director for the state’s child protection teams.

These remarkable individuals typify the spirit behind our state’s efforts on behalf of crime victims. I am proud that the Attorney General’s Office plays such an important role in improving the lives of victims of crime. Not only do our employees administer programs to help victims, but many of them also spend their own time serving as members of victim advocacy organizations.

When people think of the Attorney General’s Office, they typically envision the lawyers who work to keep convicted criminals behind bars. But it is gratifying to know that this office also places a priority on the other side of the “criminal justice” equation, doing all we can to ensure that government does not cause crime victims any further problems — but instead does its part in helping them resume their normal lives.



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