Mari Frank Interviews Jeff Dion, Director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association

Jeff Dion has championed crime victims' rights for more than two decades. Jeff began advocating for victims in 1982, when his twenty-three year old sister, Paulette, was murdered by a serial killer. Only 14 years old himself, Jeff pressed the police for information on his sister's case and, after it was solved, decided to pursue a career in law to help other crime victims. In honor of his sister's memory, Jeff lobbied the Virginia General Assembly, resulting in 13 victims' rights bills being enacted into law. These statutes established a victim's right to be present in the courtroom, the right to offer oral impact testimony at sentencing, the right to confer with the prosecutor, a civil cause of action for stalking, an expanded civil statute of limitations for victims, and an expanded legal definition of "victim." In 1998, Jeff joined the staff of the National Center for Victims of Crime, where he currently serves as the Director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association. In that capacity, he lectures throughout the country to foster greater communication and understanding among crime victims and trial attorneys. He trains victim advocates in the application of civil litigation and instructs fellow attorneys in crime victim issues and services. Having trained advocates and attorneys in 37 states, Jeff is a nationally recognized expert with strong ties to direct service providers and leaders in the field of victim services. In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Jeff worked with more than 1,500 victims and surviving family members to help them understand their rights, and he helped train more than 2,000 attorneys on the dynamics of victimization and understanding the special needs of survivors. He previously served as a Governor's Fellow in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, a Law Clerk to the Judges of Virginia's 17th Judicial Circuit, and a civil litigator with the firm of Hudgins, Carter & Coleman. In 2002, he was appointed by Governor Mark Warner and in 2006 was re-appointed by Governor Tim Kaine to the Virginia Criminal Justice Services Board, which distributes Victims of Crime Act and Violence Against Women Act grant funds to local programs throughout the Commonwealth. Jeff serves on the Victim Services Grant Review Committee, and is the Chairman of the Victim-Witness Issues Advisory Committee. Jeff, who is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, serves on the Board of Directors of his local rape crisis center, Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Service of Prince William County, Inc., which serves nearly 500 victims each year. He is a former board member and current advisory council member for the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children. In 2005, Jeff was presented the Allies for Justice Award by the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and was honored by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services as one of the individuals who has had the greatest impact on crime victims' rights in Virginia over the previous 10 years. In 2006, the Attorney General of the United States presented him with the Ronald Wilson Reagan Public Policy Award. This award honors an outstanding individual whose leadership, vision, and innovation have led to significant changes in public policy and practice that benefit crime victims, and is one of the prestigious National Crime Victims' Rights Week Awards, which are the highest honors in the field of crime victim services.