Today I began my Victim Rights course at American University. I loved meeting my students, and I’m so excited for the semester. We are going to discuss privacy and the press, rape shield laws, material witness warrants, restorative justice, victim compensation funds, and a whole lot more.
I’m also thrilled by some of the guest speakers who’ve agreed to join us, like Ali Serano, a human trafficking and child exploitation prosecutor, who is going to discuss the issues presented when victims are also witnesses; Laura Dunn, who has represented countless victims in campus assault cases, will cover the rights of complainants in Title IX proceedings; Samantha Brunick, who has helped victims of terrorism, fraud, child exploitation, and more, will talk about how we provide victim services; Heather Cartwright, Chief of the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Overseas Terrorism, will analyze comparative victim rights law; and Darlene Hutchinson, Director of the Office for Victims of Crime, will discuss the future of victim rights.
This is going to be fun.