Vermont Victim/Survivor of Crime Council

STATE OF VERMONT EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT EXECUTIVE ORDER

WHEREAS, in 2003 the National Crime Victimization Survey reported that U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced an estimated 24.2 million violent crime and property crime victimizations; and

WHEREAS, crime in Vermont directly affects the lives of thousands of individuals, including children, elders and vulnerable populations each year; and

WHEREAS, the State of Vermont is committed to protecting the lives and the physical and emotional health of Vermont individuals; and

WHEREAS, the Center for Crime Victim Services and other victim service organizations in our State recognize that the only way to provide a victim-centered, comprehensive and just system for crime victims is by involving them and interacting with individuals who are impacted by crime; and

WHEREAS, the Vermont Victim/Survivor of Crime Council is an organization that represents victims and survivors of all crimes in order to provide a bridge between people and communities who are directly affected by crime and the statewide institutions and people whose work affects victims/survivors; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to provide victims of crime in Vermont access to coordinated services from human services, including programs providing assistance with employment and housing, the medical profession, law enforcement and the legal system; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to provide State Agencies with consistent support and feedback about their programs, policies and procedures that affect individuals who are impacted by crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, James H. Douglas, by virtue of the power vested in me as Governor of the State of Vermont, do hereby designate the Vermont Victim/Survivor of Crime Council (the Council) as a single statewide crime victim planning, policy and program advisory resource for the State of Vermont. The Council shall serve in an advisory role to State agencies that offer services to, or work on behalf of crime victims. These agencies may include the Center for Crime Victim Services, the Agency of Human Services, the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, and the Department of Public Safety. State agencies providing those services shall consult with the Council in order to better understand the needs and challenges facing victims/survivors and to improve the provision of services to victims/survivors and their families by removing systemic obstacles, whether practical, procedural or legal. The Council shall be consulted concerning programs and policies relating to the provision of services and shall be called upon to participate in training opportunities to educate professionals and communities about the impact of crime on victims and to promote greater sensitivity towards victims of crime. The Center for Crime Victim Services shall provide administrative support to the Council.

This Executive Order shall take effect upon signing.

Witness my name hereunto subscribed and the Great Seal of the State of Vermont hereunto affixed at Montpelier this 9th day of February, A.D. 2007.

James H. Douglas, Governor

By the Governor: Kiersten Bourgeois, Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs

Executive Order No. 01-07