Attorney General Jack Conway

Dear Victim Service Providers:

The Office of the Attorney General is proud to host the 2011 annual Victims Assistance Conference. Despite budget constraints, my office remains committed to victim advocacy and to ensuring justice and healing for crime victims, both young and old, in Kentucky.

This year's Victims Assistance Conference will be a tribute to the history of victim rights and services in Kentucky as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Crime Victims Bill of Rights and the Office of Victims Advocacy. We are very pleased to have Carol Jordan and Rep. Joni Jenkins kick-off the conference with keynote addresses focusing on significant victim rights milestones in our state.

Michelle Cruz, State Victim Advocate for the Office of the Victims Advocate in Connecticut, will also provide attendees with insight into the future of victims' rights. Ms. Cruz has successfully lobbied for laws targeted at crime victims' rights improvements, authored several investigative reports that have been the impetus for improvements in the services to crime victims, and provided assistance to hundreds of crime victims in Connecticut.

As our conference will be held during National Crime Victims Rights' Week, my office will host Kentucky's Crime Victims' Rights Day on April 13 at the Kentucky History Center. Nationally recognized victim rights advocate Quincy Lucas will serve as our keynote speaker. Ms. Lucas, whose sister was murdered in 2003 by a former boyfriend, formed Whitney's Lights, a non-profit organization to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to commend you for the tireless work you do every day to assist victims and their families. You give hope to those who have none, and provide a powerful voice to Kentuckians who are often in their darkest hours.

We look forward to seeing you at this year's conference and victims' rights day event.

Sincerely,

Jack Conway
Kentucky Attorney General