The needs of most victims of crime are easy to appreciate.

They want to be safe and made whole. They want their physical and emotional wounds to heal. They want their offenders held accountable. And they want their communities to stand respectfully beside them.

During this year's National Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 13-19, we recognize those needs and reaffirm our commitment to help meet them.

This year's theme -- Justice for Victims, Justice for All -- reminds us that doing right by victims is an essential component of "justice for all," which is the foundation of justice in America.

It wasn't always this way. For most of our nation's history, criminal defendants had far more rights than their victims. That disparity began to diminish in the 1970s, partly due to the grass-roots work of organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving. A federal victims' rights law was passed, and
the U.S. Justice Department created the Office for Victims of Crime.

In 1990, Arizona voters approved a constitutional victims' rights amendment. Our state has since become a national leader in its support of crime victims. Arizona is one of 13 states that monitors compliance and enforces statutory rights,
including the right to be heard in court and to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity.

Last year alone, the Attorney General's Office of Victim Services assisted some 12,200 victims. The work done on their behalf includes monitoring restitution payments, providing transportation to and from court, and keeping families up to date on criminal proceedings of their offenders.

President John F. Kennedy observed, "In giving rights to others that belong to them, we give rights to ourselves and to our country."

By giving crime victims the support they deserve, we move closer to our goal of justice for all. I'm committed to maintaining their rights, meeting their needs and standing respectfully beside them.

Terry Goddard