[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3532-S3533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THANKING AILEEN ADAMS FOR HER SERVICE AS DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                  JUSTICE OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, this year we have had to say farewell to 
Aileen Adams as she leaves the post of Director of Department of 
Justice Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and returns to California. 
Three years ago, Aileen was appointed by the President and confirmed by 
the Senate. During her time in Washington, I worked with Aileen and OVC 
on a number of matters and came to know Aileen as a dedicated advocate 
for crime victims. Her vision and dedication have been extraordinary. 
Aileen will be sincerely missed, although her legacy will benefit 
victims of crime for years to come.
  Before coming to the Department of Justice, Aileen had served as the 
legal counsel for the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica Hospital 
for 10 years. In that position, Aileen demonstrated her leadership and 
innovation with the creation of Stuart House, an interagency center for 
sexually-abused children.
  As Director of OVC, Aileen focused on assisting local and state crime 
victim programs around the country and improving crime victims services 
in the federal system. Aileen's leadership has helped over two million 
crime victims across the country and around the globe. In just this 
past year, OVC has administered over $528 million and supported more 
than 2,500 victim assistance programs.
  Aileen's dedication has impacted rural areas such as Vermont. She has 
helped sharpen the focus on rural crime and domestic violence and 
supported a rural crime initiative which will study and enhance 
services available to rural crime victims.
  Among the victim assistance programs pioneered by Aileen was the 
establishment of the National Victim Assistance Academy last year. This 
Academy provides training on victims' rights and services and draws 
upon expertise of professionals ranging from law enforcement officers 
to rape crises counselors. Over 200 victim advocates and professionals 
have graduated from the Academy and have taken their skills back to 
their communities, where they continue outreach work for the benefit of 
victims.
  Under her leadership, a group of international experts joined to 
draft a manual to implement the United Nations Declaration of Basic 
Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. Among 
other things, this manual is a step toward ensuring that crime victims 
are treated fairly and that they are assisted throughout the globe.
  I had the opportunity to work with Aileen and the many dedicated 
members of her staff on a number of matters over the last few years. In 
the aftermath of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma 
City, Aileen and OVC were among those immediately on the scene to 
provide assistance to the victims. Together we have found ways to 
extend and expand that victims assistance over time and to enact 
legislation to allow victims and their families greater opportunity to 
attend and observe the trials of those charged in connection with that 
horrendous crime.
  We worked together on the Victims of Terrorism Act that I added to 
the bill passed by the Senate in June 1995, in the wake of the Oklahoma 
City bombing, to improve our law recognizing the rights and needs of 
victims of crime. We also worked on the Justice for Victims of 
Terrorism Act that was enacted in April 1996. We were able to make 
funds available through supplemental grants to the States to assist and 
compensate victims of terrorism and mass violence, which incidents 
might otherwise have overwhelmed the resources of Oklahoma's crime 
victims compensation program or its victims assistance services. We 
also filled a gap in our law for residents of the United

[[Page S3533]]

States who are victims of terrorism and mass violence that occur 
outside the borders of the United States.
  In addition, we allowed greater flexibility to our State and local 
victims' assistance programs and some greater certainty so that they 
can know that our commitment to victims programming will not wax and 
wane with events. Accordingly, we enacted an important provision to 
increase the base amounts for States' victims assistance grants to 
$500,000 and allowed victims assistance grants to be made for a 3-year 
cycle of programming, rather than the year of award plus one, which was 
the limit contained in previous law. We were able to raise the 
assessments on those convicted of federal crimes in order to fund the 
needs of crime victims.
  We worked to improve the church burning legislation and to increase 
the stability to victim assistance and victim compensation program 
funds.
  Aileen was helpful in consulting with me and other Senators on the 
Judiciary Committee on the victims provisions of S. 15, a youth crime 
bill, so that the rights of victims of juvenile crime to appear, to be 
heard and to be informed would be protected. Those provisions have now 
been incorporated in the juvenile crime bill ordered reported by the 
Judiciary Committee.
  In addition, Senator Kennedy and I incorporated a number of her 
suggestions in S. 1081, the ``Crime Victims Assistance Act.'' That bill 
would reform the Federal Rules and Federal law to establish additional 
rights and protections for victims of federal crime. In particular, the 
legislation would provide crime victims with an enhanced right to be 
heard on the issue of pretrial detention, on plea bargains, at 
sentencing, on probation revocation, and to be notified of a 
defendant's escape or release from prison. The legislation goes further 
than other victims rights proposals that are currently before Congress 
by including enhanced penalties for witness intimidation, an increase 
in Federal victim assistance personnel, enhanced training for State and 
local law enforcement and officers of the Court, development of state 
of the art systems for notifying victims of important dates and 
developments in their cases, and the establishment of ombudsman 
programs for crime victims.
  I know that crime victim advocates in Vermont join me in thanking 
Aileen for her service. I was delighted that Aileen could come to 
Vermont to keynote the restorative justice conference in Vermont last 
June. Our Vermont advocates are well aware of the extraordinary efforts 
at OVC and have worked with OVC to create greater opportunities for 
rural programs. With support from OVC, Vermont has been able to 
implement its victims programs for outreach to underserved populations 
and coordinate among providers and allied professionals.
  I was especially proud when the recent site visit to Vermont resulted 
in the Justice Department concluding that ``Vermont's programs are 
setting the standard for outreach to under served populations and 
service coordination among providers and allied professionals.''
  Aileen Adams has dedicated her service to the needs of crime victims. 
She has made a difference. She has improved federal programs for 
victims of domestic violence, victims of terrorism, and crime victim 
assistance generally. She has helped create a strong funding source for 
crime victim compensation and assistance programs. She has worked to 
expand crime victims rights. Most importantly, she has made a 
difference in the lives of crime victims all across the country.

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