Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced on Apr. 21 the creation of the Attorney General’s Victims’ Rights Council (VRC), which will be overseen by the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance. The new council aims to strengthen communication among professionals, specialists, and individuals with lived experience in order to improve support for victims and survivors across New Jersey.
The VRC is intended to provide a regular forum for dialogue between those who assist crime victims, with the goal of developing coordinated strategies that enhance victims’ rights and diversify available services. This initiative follows listening sessions conducted by VIVA’s Office of Trial and Criminal Justice Process, where stakeholders expressed a need for more consistent cross-discipline communication about issues affecting victims.
“Victims and survivors of crime are uniquely positioned to help shape the policies that will affect not only their healing journeys, but their experiences with our criminal justice system,” said Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. “Today we are continuing New Jersey’s legacy of victim advocacy by creating a council where their voices will be heard.”
Patricia Teffenhart, Executive Director of VIVA, said: “VIVA was created, in part, to ensure that the needs and perspectives of victims and survivors are a central element of our public safety policy and decision making. The establishment of the VRC gives us a critical tool to receive timely and consistent feedback and recommendations from our stakeholders.” Kara Webster, Director of OTCJP, added: “The creation of the VRC is a dream come true… At OTCJP, we believe that taking a ground-up approach when developing new policies… ensures that they better reflect the true needs of survivors.”
The council will include more than 30 members from both inside and outside the criminal justice system—such as representatives from victim witness advocacy groups, forensic nursing, law enforcement agencies, nonprofit service providers, corrections officials, prosecutors’ offices, and courts. Its objectives include identifying challenges facing victims within or outside criminal justice processes; improving experiences for those moving through these systems; expanding access to justice; enforcing existing rights; advocating for new protections; preventing systemic problems through policy changes; making substantive improvements via long-term planning; responding quickly to statewide issues as they arise.
According to the official website, the New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin leads efforts across all counties in protecting residents’ lives while providing legal representation at state level along with law enforcement oversight—including initiatives like victim advocacy. The office also holds statutory authority over public safety matters throughout New Jersey.
Looking ahead, one priority for the newly formed council is establishing survivor-centered processes so input from people directly affected by crime can inform its work—a step leaders say is essential for effective policymaking.
