UPDATE: Numerous Groups to Join Candlelight Vigil on Wednesday

UPDATE:Tuesday, April 23, 2013.

Momentum is building for a candlelight vigil and resource fair. Wednesday, April 24, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 414 S. Jefferson St in Napa (at Napa Valley Hospice).

Held in honor of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, organizers now include the District Attorney's office, Napa Valley Hospice & Adult Day Services, Napa Emergency Women's Shelter and Clinic Ole.

ORIGINAL STORY: April 18, 2013.

A candlelight vigil and resource fair, sponsored by Napa County District Attorney’s Office, will be held 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24 at Napa Valley Hospice & Adult Day Services 414 South Jefferson St., Napa.

The event, part of Crime Victims' Rights Week, will include a ceremony honoring local champions of crime victims’ rights. This year’s theme—"New Challenges. New Solutions"—celebrates the spirit that will advance the progress past heroes achieved.

The Napa County District Attorney's Office issued the following statement:

"Only 30 years ago, crime victims had no rights, access to crime victim compensation, or services to help rebuild their lives," the statement said. "They were often excluded from courtrooms, treated as an afterthought by the criminal justice system, and denied an opportunity to speak at sentencing.

"But National Crime Victims’ Rights Week reminds us that many challenges remain," the statement said. "Crime victims’ rights are not universal and are often not enforced.

"Only a small percentage of victims receive crime victim compensation, which is usually limited to victims of violent crime," it added. "According to last year’s National Crime Victimization Survey, more than 50 percent of violent crimes were not reported to police in 2006-2010."

In addition, a 2011 report called the Use of Victim Services Agencies by Victims of Serious Violent Crime showed that only 9 percent of violent crime victims received needed services in the 1993-2009 timeframe.

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