Virginians United Against Crime was a crime victim rights organization formed in 1993 by the survivors of victims of homicide. I was once a member of it and can attest to it being a real organization.
They achieved several notable legislative objectives to help victims of crime in Virginia. These included:
- the abolition of parole for individuals convicted of a felony crimes effective in 1995.
- requiring that victims (or their survivors) be advised of a potential plea deal by prosecutors prior to it being put into effect in court.
- giving juvenile victims of sexual crimes the right to testify against their accusers via closed circuit television versus face to face in the courtroom.
- requiring that trial defense attorneys give justification to the court prior to listing survivors of the victim as witnesses (and thus forcing them out of the courtroom).
Virginians United Against Crime also provided support to victim survivors of crimes of homicide. Many members lost a loved one to acts of unspeakable violence.
The group disbanded around 2008, which is why the phone number and website didn't work when the other reviewer tried calling it in 2015.
Review from Guidestar