Victim's Rights/Crime | Congressman Ted Poe, Serving the 2nd District of Texas

Victim's Rights/Crime

I’ve dedicated my life to promoting justice. After serving as an assistant district attorney for 8 years, I was elected six times as a Harris County felony court judge. As a Judge, I ordered creative sentences, which forced criminals to focus on how their crimes hurt their victims. Some of my creative sentences included ordering sex offenders to place signs on their front lawns to warn others and requiring murderers to secure a photo of their victims on the walls of their prison cells to remind them daily of their crime.

I brought my passion for justice to Washington and founded the Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus. The mission of the Caucus is to elevate crime victim issues in Congress in a bipartisan manner without infringing on the rights of the accused, and to represent and to advocate before the Administration and within Congress on behalf of crime victims. Rep. Jim Costa (CA-20) and I co-chair the Caucus.

The Caucus has three main goals:

To represent crime victims in the United States through the bipartisan introduction of legislation that reflects their interests, rights, and needs.
To provide an ongoing forum for dialog between the Congress and national victim assistance organizations to enhance mutual education, legislative advocacy and initiatives that promote justice for all, including crime victims.
To seek opportunities for public education initiatives to help the nation understand the impact of crime on victims, and to encourage their involvement in crime prevention, victim assistance, and community safety.

I am proud that the Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus has already proven to be an effective leader in advocating for crime victims. Since 2005, the Caucus has served as a leader in protecting programs that provide critical financial support for victim services throughout the nation, including the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA). The Caucus was also instrumental in the enactment of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and has co-sponsored resolutions recognizing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Stalking Awareness Month, National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, and National Remembrance for Murder Victims.

I want victims to know that they are not alone in their fight for justice. I will continue to provide a voice for both victims and law enforcement in Congress.

To visit the Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus website, click here: http://vrc.poe.house.gov.

To receive further information on my involvements in this or other issues currently before Congress, please sign up for my e-newsletters by visiting my sign-up page.