Alameda County Family Justice Center

06/27/2006 GAAS:409:06 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version

Governor Schwarzenegger today took three aggressive steps to continue building on his commitment to public safety in California. Addressing local officials at the Alameda County Family Justice Center, the Governor announced that he is sponsoring the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, he has appointed Susan Fisher to fill the newly created position of Crime Victim Advocate, and he is expediting a program to track dangerous criminals using GPS.

"Being a victim of crime is a life-altering experience and I know that victims face challenges and hardships most of us cannot even imagine," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Too often, we focus on just locking up the criminals and putting them behind bars, or putting more cops on the streets. But there's one very important part of the equation that is too often neglected and is missing, and those are the crime victims and their families."

The Crime Victims Bill of Rights is a comprehensive legislative proposal authored by Assemblymember Nicole Parra, (D-Hanford), to help crime victims overcome the hardships caused by criminal acts. This legislation will build upon the efforts of Senator Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Kyl (R-AZ), who introduced a similar constitutional amendment at the federal level, by creating a strong set of rights for victims in our State Constitution. The legislation, (ACA 37) will give victims new rights, allowing them to:

• Have direct contact with the district attorney in serious, violent cases.

• Attend all public hearings and be present and heard at parole hearings.

• Receive information about their case, including sentencing and release data.

• To have a lawyer or the district attorney enforce their rights in court.

The Governor also directed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to place GPS monitors on 2000 offenders over the next two years instead of the originally scheduled four years, cutting the time in half. Last year, the Governor signed the pilot program into law to better track the worst 2000 sex offenders and other criminals in California and enhance public safety.

Also announced today, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Susan Fisher as his Crime Victim Advocate, a position created by Executive Order S-05-06 on April 24, 2006 to serve within the Governor's Office as California's lead advocate on state and federal policy impacting crime victims.

"Susan has a long history working with victim rights groups, and like many who have been touched by violent crime in their family, her experience was a call to help others," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Now she will be the single leading advocate on state and federal policy regarding crime victims and I look forward to working with her in this new role for the people of California."

Susan L. Fisher, 53, of Sacramento, most recently served as chair of the Board of Parole Hearings. She was appointed to the Board in July 2005. Previously, she served as a commissioner on the Board of Prison Terms from January 2004 until July 2005. From 1999 to 2004 she served as executive director of the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau and, before that, served on the Bureau's board of directors for seven years. She also served as president of Citizens for Law and Order. This position is not subject to Senate confirmation. The compensation is $95,000.