Blog, In the News

Family & Children’s Place is pleased to see Marsy’s Law – a proposed constitutional amendment to ensure protections for victims of crime – continuing to make headway through the Kentucky General Assembly, and hope for swift approval by the full house so that it can appear on the ballot in November, and to have our President and CEO Pam Darnall among the voices speaking out for victims.

Marsy’s Law guarantees that victims have the right to notice of court proceedings, the right to be present at judicial hearings, the right to be heard at pleas and other proceedings and the right to avoid unreasonable delays. The measure is named in honor of Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas, who was killed in 1983.

It gives victims of crimes equivalent rights as those who commit crimes, and as Darnall noted, “We see a lot of hurt people who believe that the system works against them … Marsy’s Law will ensure that they are informed and heard, and provide them a sense of security as they maneuver through the judicial system.”

Kentucky is among 14 states that do not offer constitutional-level protections for crime victims.