KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
This week is National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
It's a time for advocates, policymakers, and survivors to raise awareness about the rights of crime victims and the need for more support for victims.
The Kansas Department of Corrections has a department dedicated to victims' rights, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), one of six program offices in the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Danielle Thompson is the Battered Intervention Program coordinator.
“We are there on behalf of the victims in an attempt to reduce and prevent future harm from occurring,” said Thompson. “We also provide services to those victims and partners of the people that we’re serving in our group. So, we will provide advocacy services, notification services, while we are serving the people who have caused harm in our groups.”
The role of the program is twofold: Confidentially assist and support victims of crime, along with cold case cards with information about a cold case crime on a deck of cards.
They have distributed 10,000 decks of cards in the communities, as well as every jail and prison in the state.
The cold case cards have resulted in 35 credible tips.
Joshua Antoine Jernigan, a murder victim, is on the 4 of hearts in the cold case deck.
Jernigan was found shot to death on October 3, 2017, in his Topeka apartment. His case remains unsolved.
Jessica Miller is his sister.
“We’re a very close-knit family,” said Miller. “I just always pray over them (the cards) that we all get justice, answers.”
The Adhoc group against crime is another organization that is promoting its services this week.
Damon Daniel is the president of the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime in Kansas City.
“A lot of people don’t know what's available to them until they have to use the services, and if you know it’s available, sometimes it's prevention,” said Daniel. “Anytime any of us provide services, it never really feels transactional. It’s really about relationship and making sure we have empathy and are serving people with compassion and respect.”
AdHoc is partnering with the Friends of Yates for a crime victims event on April 25.
