Kinship Connecting & Healing: As a victim of crime, you have certain rights

The Office of Victims of Crime (OVC), which is an agency within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), slated April 6-12 as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

On April 7, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office asked county commissioners to sign a proclamation declaring April 6-12 as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in Sequoyah County.

The theme this year is Kinship Connecting & Healing.

“The Sheriff’s Office takes Crime Victims’ Rights seriously,” Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Investigator Cindy Smith said, who is also part of the Special Victims Unit. Smith said victims of crime are many times overwhelmed with information about the criminal justice process and their options going forward following victimization.

“The knowledge of their rights as a victim of a crime is not only the law, but a valuable tool they can utilize to start moving forward and taking back their power,” she said.

Smith said the Sheriff’s Office provides not only printed victims’ rights material, but has also created a QR code card that, when scanned, will take the user to the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office website with links to Victims’ Rights and advocacy information.

Sarah Ridinger serves as Victim Service Specialist for the Sheriff’s Office. Her position is provided by a VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) Grant, which is overseen by the Oklahoma District Attorney’s Council and funded solely by those convicted of crimes.

Ridinger can be reached at 918-817–