Tag: victimsrights

California’s Victim Compensation Board

This week’s article is a public service announcement for all of the future victims of crime in California. The increasingly strict gun control laws eliminating the possibility of self-defense by law-abiding citizens combined with the soft on criminals focus of the state including decriminalization of many offenses, elimination of bail and early release of non-violent felons for crimes such as assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer; battery with serious bodily injury; solicitation to commit murder and rape/sodomy/oral copulation of an unconscious person – your opportunity to become a victim of crime in California are better than ever.  Preparing ahead of time will get you into the long administrative line quicker when you are victimized.

Started in 1965 and evolving through several different state organizations, the current California Victims Compensation Board (CalVCB) is a three-member board of appointees whose mission is to provide financial assistance to victims of crime. There are also resources at the local and county level that may be of additional assistance or to help you complete the application to CalVCB.

There are of course limitations and caveats. The only crimes covered are: Domestic violence, child abuse, assault, sexual assault, elder abuse, molestation, homicide, robbery, hate crimes, drunk driving, vehicular manslaughter, human trafficking, stalking and online harassment. Claims must be filed within three years of the crime.

Expenses that are eligible for compensation include: Crime scene clean up, funeral and burial expenses, home or vehicle modifications for victims who became disabled, income loss, medical and dental treatment, mental health services, relocation and residential security.

It is also important to note that by law, CalVCB is the payer of last resort; reimbursement and recovery sources must be applied to all expenses first. Examples include medical insurance, disability insurance, employer benefits and civil suits.

Applications are available on the CalVCB website at: https://victims.ca.gov/publications/calvcpforms.aspx

So, why am I doing a PSA for victim compensation?  That’s easy… California is proudly taking the lead in being soft on those who break the law. In fact, in many situations, their activity is no longer considered a criminal violation.  In the situations where it is still a crime, the consequences of committing a ‘criminal’ act are so low there is no longer any reason NOT to commit the ‘crime’. Prop 47 and 57,  along with other so-called reforms, the commuting of sentences for those on death row, pardoning the crimes of illegal residents to keep them from being deported and the elimination of bail and mandated release of most of those arrested within 12 hours – all adds up to more criminals than ever being dumbed back on California streets.

If you’re thinking – I just saw the latest crime statistics from the State and my local PD/Sheriff and crime is down – well, there’s something you need to know. With the ever-changing definition of “crime” in California, it’s like comparing Apples to Oracles. Combine that with a little Common Core math, a copy of “How to Lie with Statistics” and people who want you to believe their BS, and you’ve got ‘safer feeling communities’.

If you want to know the truth, talk to your neighbors. Talk to the people who have been the victim of property and violent crime in your own city or town. Then see how that fits into the official narrative being shoveled out the back door of the Statehouse and City Hall.

It wasn’t that long ago when your local law enforcement agency partnered with the NRA (National Rifle Association) and the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation) to offer public programs to promote safety in the home and in public. I’m not just talking about firearms; I’m talking about a range of real-life safety programs for everyone at every level.

But then… these programs promote individual self-reliance, something a victim encouraging government can’t stand. And there’s the association with firearms, something they don’t want you to have (see no individual self-reliance). As a result, very few law enforcement agencies in California still offer any programs other than registering your belongings and alarm/video systems.

Is being a victim of crime in California inevitable? For a lot of people I’m going to unfortunately say yes. Without the ability or knowledge to protect themselves, these are the people who are going blindly into the night thinking the state is doing everything possible to protect them and they “feel” safe.  For these people I recommend downloading and filling out a couple of victim compensation forms ahead of time.

And then there are the rest of us; the people who refuse to be a victim.  The people who do not believe the state is doing anything to increase our level of safety. The people who believe criminals should be punished for breaking the law. The people who believe they have a right to defend their own lives and the lives of their families with the best tools and training available to them.

Welcome to the new California, the leader in turning law-abiding citizens into law-abiding victims.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #Constitution, #BillOfRights, #SecondAmendment, #GunControlFails, #CrimePrevention, #FeelingSafer, #RefuseToBeAVictim, #NRA, #NSSF, #CalVCB, #NOTAVICTIM, #mewe, #medium, #oddstuffing.com

Violence is Violence

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Parents Against Gun Violence, Women Against Gun Violence, The Educational Fund to End Handgun Violence… the list goes on and on.

Why is it that all these groups are focusing on gun violence and not just violence?

Guns do not cause violence. A gun is only a tool that can be used in a violent act, just as knives, clubs, cars, fists, feet or any other tool can be used. In fact, depending on the type of crime and location, weapons OTHER THAN firearms are more commonly used. Don’t believe me, go out to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports website and browse the data yourself.

If violent crime is more commonly committed with something other than firearms, why is the focus only on guns? Quite simply, it’s a political agenda. Guns are bad so we’re going to get rid of guns. More specifically, the anti-gun elite wants to get rid of everyone’s guns – except the ones protecting them, they need those. Those are apparently good and necessary guns. Nobody else needs them.

So, if you get rid of the guns, you’ve gotten rid of the violence, right? Wrong. Australia and the United Kingdom, the two most common examples cited as anti-gun utopias had violent crime increase after getting rid of civilian owned guns. And, despite having outlawed guns, both continue to have huge gun problems. Both countries collect as evidence more guns after crimes of violence than they care to admit.

How can this be? They have laws against private gun ownership so everyone should be safer without guns. The answer to that one is actually easy; criminals don’t obey the law.

Unfortunately for those who believe they can live in a gun-free utopia, the gun genie is out of the bottle. Criminals know how to get them through illegal means, or if they want, to build them themselves. And we’re not talking about high-tech 3D printers and CNC machines; we’re talking low-tech $10 trips to the hardware store. The information is out there, easy for anyone to use. Home built firearms in different parts of the world aren’t just zip guns anymore either. They are sophisticated, reliable, cheap and readily available.

If you’re thinking – okay, but what about mass shootings? If we get rid of guns, we won’t have those any more, right? Think again. In countries where guns are not as readily available there are still acts of mass violence, they just use other tools. Knives, explosives, chemicals and cars are just as deadly and just as effective.

But for argument sake, let’s say all the guns are gone. Now what? For a hint, take a look at the United Kingdom’s “Save a Life–Surrender Your Knife” program. They’ve even gone so far as to consult with 10 top chefs from around the country who have concluded that there is no need for a long, pointy knife. Does the “nobody needs a …“ logic sound familiar?

Here’s the United Kingdom’s advice for not becoming a victim of knife violence:

Don’t be a victim

If you feel you are in immediate danger from knife crime there are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself:

  • Move away from the situation towards a public place (shop, house, restaurant etc.) as quickly as possible.
  • Make as much noise as you can.
  • Instead of carrying a knife, carry a personal alarm.
  • Don’t fight back.

Once all the long, pointy knives are gone, what do you outlaw next? Smaller knives? Letter openers? Baseball bats? Lengths of pipe? Pointy sticks of wood? Martial arts?

Firearms do not cause violence, just as knives, clubs, cars, fists and feet don’t cause it either. It’s the person – the individual – who chooses to commit the act of violence against another. If you want to curb violence – you will never eliminate it – you must solve the societal problems that cause it in the first place.

Keep in mind that firearms and other force multipliers are used to defend innocent lives every day in every corner of this country. Banning the right to effective self-defense only turns citizens into victims or scapegoat criminals if they do choose to protect themselves and their families from violence.

Violence is violence, the tool is irrelevant.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #violenceisviolence, #selfdefense, #2ndamendment

Criminal (In)Justice System

The United States is considered the global leader of economy, foreign investment, technology and military power. Yet at the same time, our nation incarcerates a higher percentage of its citizens than any other in the world. One would think the leading superpower would do a better job with crime and justice within its own borders for its own citizens.

The symbol of the justice system is Lady Justice. She is blindfolded so as to be objective and impartial, without favoring identity of wealth, power or any other factor. She holds scales to weigh evidence, impartially and on its own merit. She also holds a sword representing punishment.

One of the concepts I recall from studying criminal justice many years ago was that in order for punishment to be an effective deterrence, it must be swift, severe and certain. Unfortunately, American justice has become anything but.

Criminal prosecutions are all but certain. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement to solve cases and apprehend those responsible, criminal cases are not always pursued. The vast majority of cases are plea-bargained for greatly reduced charges.  The process is by no means swift. Even simple cases can take months or years to resolve. Complex, serious crimes can take much longer to wind their way through the courts. Where a conviction is obtained and punishment is given to the offender, it is most often far less than the law always. Due to prison overcrowding and initiatives such as California’s Proposition 47, more offenders are spending far less time incarcerated. Those who do serve actual prison time emerge more hardened, connected and willing to continue committing crime than when they went in.

Unfortunately, justice is also recognized as being disproportionately administered depending on the class, status or vocation. Equal crimes should not result in unequal consequences.  It’s not hard to immediately think of examples where the punishment did not fit the crime, both to the advantage and disadvantage of person who committed it.

The most common strategy to address crime is to pass more laws making more activities illegal.  The rational is that by adding additional ‘crimes’, criminals will be deterred from illegal acts. In reality, it only turns innocent people into criminals and fewer actual criminals are punished for the crimes they do commit.

The result for those who choose to break the law is they have very little fear of the law, law enforcement, the courts or any potential punishment. They know they must be treated properly by law enforcement and if their case ever does get to court and a conviction obtained, the punishment will be more of a temporary inconvenience than a deterrent.  Sadly, our system affords criminals more rights than their victims.

The only remaining element a criminal has to fear is from their potential victim. Yet current and proposed laws make it increasing difficult or impossible for the average, non-privileged citizen to protect themselves, their family or their property without becoming criminals themselves.

Dealing with crime by increasing the volume of criminal statutes is not the answer. To reduce crime you have to solve the underlying causes of it. That means dealing with education, poverty, mental health, race, drugs, family, equality and politics – the problems our citizens must cope with every day.

Will we ever stop all crime? Of course not; free will gives us the ability to choose our own path, lawfully or not. But it doesn’t mean we don’t work on the primary causes or correct the justice system by vigorously enforcing the laws we already have to their fullest extent.  It also means we don’t eliminate the right of individuals to protect themselves and their families from those who have very little to fear from our criminal injustice system.

Bob

#oddstufing, #crimeandpunishment, #criminalinjustice #victimsrights