Bridgette Stumpf: In the fight to reduce violence, DC is ensuring victims won’t be left behind
With too much gun violence in neighborhoods across the District, local leaders and residents continue an urgent debate around the best strategies and policies to solve the root causes of crime and reduce violence fast. Yet, too often in our public discourse, the victims and survivors of these crimes are not viewed as part of the solution.
Thankfully, a comprehensive bill focused on victims from Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen — the Expanding Supports for Crime Victims Amendment Act — passed the DC Council unanimously this fall and was recently signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser. This bill has received little fanfare or attention, but it is poised to have a sizable effect on the District’s public safety efforts.
I say this with confidence as a leader of an organization that works closely with victims and survivors of violent crime every day — and as an advocate who has pushed to see these changes written into law. This bill is good news for all people who share a desire to see our streets safer and want to see victims better supported.
Why do these reforms matter? Most people would be surprised to learn victims of violence have no clear person to turn to for guidance and support after a crime. Shortly upon stabilization from a serious wound, victims must navigate a complicated and unfamiliar system, seeking answers – often on their own – about how to file a police report, the process for applying for crime victim’s compensation, or their rights as patients of the hospital and victims of crime.
Below are a few items in the bill that we believe will have the biggest impact.
As far as the big picture, while DC has robust rights and confidentiality protections for survivors of gender-based violence (for example, sexual assault survivors), similar rights and support have lagged behind for other types of survivors. This is effectively a blind spot in the District’s efforts to combat violent crime, given that working with victims and survivors helps break cycles of violence and grow trust in our criminal justice system. This law will infuse equity into crime victims’ experiences and acknowledge that entire communities are strengthened when all trauma survivors receive support.
This bill — which received a positive racial impact report from the Council Office of Racial Equity — directs equal and substantive support to crime victims of all types in the District, with a special emphasis on two historically underserved populations: gunshot and stabbing victims.
It codifies much of the groundbreaking work being done around hospital-based violence intervention, an area in which Network for Victim Recovery of DC and MedStar Washington Hospital Center are helping DC lead the nation. Hospital-based violence intervention programs establish relationships between advocates and victims of violence in the moments when victims can be most vulnerable — during a medical emergency. A key component to successful intervention is trust. We know that many victims of violence don’t trust “the system”; we also know that having an advocate by their side can change that distrust.
These violence prevention professionals, much like sexual assault advocates in the District, provide much-needed information and support to survivors who are suffering from gunshot or stabbing wounds in the hospital, or who have experienced certain violent crimes. These advocates are equipped with information about victims’ rights and options after a crime, and can share this information in a manner that is confidential and privileged. They’re also best positioned to break a cycle of violence by intervening before more harm can be done.
The soon-to-be-law also addresses a litany of other critical needs that advocates and front-line workers have long sought. For instance, it encourages survivors of crime to seek hospital treatment by limiting law enforcement’s ability to execute non-violent warrants while survivors are receiving treatment. The bill also closes gaps in DC’s Crime Victims Compensation Program, such as extending eligibility to residents who suffer property damage as a result of gun violence. And it clears a barrier to ensure the Metropolitan Police Department can be much more responsive when someone violates a stay-away order in cases of stalking or harassment that can quickly escalate.
Approaches like the Expanding Supports for Crime Victims Amendment Act help move us toward an ecosystem of restoration and healing. Alongside efforts to take on a once-in-a-generation revision of the entire criminal code (with overwhelming community support), the District is taking steps toward a more fair and just criminal justice system at a moment of renewed moral imperative to acknowledge racial discrimination and other societal inequities. Acknowledging and acting on burgeoning recognition of the impact of trauma on survivors has to be part of all of these efforts. Thankfully, District leaders like Council member Allen are rightly investing in a more well-rounded approach to public safety than we have had traditionally.
Bridgette Stumpf is executive director and co-founder of the Network for Victim Recovery of DC.
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