Event aimed at providing better outcome for victims’ of crime being held at the Bayfield County Courthouse
WASHBURN, Wis. – Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin is collaborating with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and Bayfield County District Attorney Kimberly Lawton for a session next week in Washburn to help make sure victims of crime in our area are accessing their rights and the services available to them. The groups will convene local stakeholders from the criminal justice system and victim service organizations to literally “map” the journey of a victim through the criminal justice system – from the initial call to law enforcement all the way to post-conviction proceedings.
The objective is to ensure victims can easily and effectively exercise their rights, while looking for opportunities to improve victim service delivery. Their efforts will help improve the understanding of the path crime victims face and look for opportunities to improve victim service delivery.
Attendees will be examining how the rights provided to victims under Wisconsin’s crime victims’ rights constitutional amendment, known as Marsy’s Law, impacts the criminal justice system and its processes specifically in Bayfield County. The project will look at who victims interact with at each “touch point” of the criminal justice process to better identify both positive outcomes since Marsy’s Law’s implementation in 2020 and areas in need of further progress. The group will examine the experiences of hypothetical sexual assault and domestic violence victims.
“Since its ratification five years ago, Marsy’s Law has served as a source of strength for crime victims during difficult times,” said Nela Kalpic, Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin State Director. “We can gain valuable insights by reflecting upon the journey victims take in the criminal justice process, including identifying new ways of improvement. This mapping exercise reinforces the importance of ensuring crime victims have strong, meaningful rights at every stage of the justice system.”
“Ensuring crime victims are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve is a top priority for me and my office,” said Kimberly Lawton, Bayfield County District Attorney. “This mapping exercise offers us an opportunity to better understand how crime victims move through our local criminal justice process and how all of us who interact with victims can be best positioned to help survivors access their rights and the services available to them.”
The mapping exercise will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday, Sep. 22 at the Bayfield County Courthouse, 117 E 5th St in Washburn.
Leading the exercise will be Nela Kalpic, the State Director for Marsy’s Law in Wisconsin; Miriam Falk, Assistant Attorney General; and Ann Kesenich, Crime Victims’ Rights Board Operations Director and Policy Initiatives Advisor.
The meeting will also involve other representatives from the Bayfield County District Attorney’s Office, the Bayfield County Circuit Court, CASDA (Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse), Red Cliff Family Violence Prevention Program, and NDAC (New Day Advocacy Center).
The Bayfield County mapping event marks the 11th Marsy’s Law mapping exercise over the past three years in Wisconsin. Previous sessions have been held in Brown, Winnebago, Marathon, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Rock, Milwaukee, and Douglas counties. Mapping exercises have also been held with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and the Wisconsin National Guard. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is using the data gathered from these sessions to evaluate Marsy’s Law implementation statewide and identify best practices for meaningful enforcement of victims’ rights.
Media Note: For media who wish to schedule an interview with one of the participants or receive additional information, please contact Madelyn Hughes at mh@platform-communications.com.
