Victims' Rights Week - a nationwide event - marks the legislative strides made through the years on behalf of victims. Each April people gather in Riverside at the historic County Courthouse and at the courthouses in Indio and Murrieta to celebrate these advancements for victims:

• the right to be notified of case status and case disposition
• the right to be treated with dignity and respect
• the right to speak at the sentencing of their attacker
• the right to be notified when the attacker is up for parole
• the right to receive restitution

More recently, the "tell all" loophole was closed in California so a "famous" criminal can no longer benefit from writing a book about his or her crime.

A couple of years ago at the Riverside celebration, Victim Vincent Maggio shared his story. Maggio had been hit by a drunk driver as he was delivering groceries in Riverside. The driver ran from the scene but then turned himself in the next day and pled guilty. He was to receive a sentence of 16 months. Vince lost both his legs in the accident, but since he had been in rehabilitation in several locations, the district attorney had not been able to contact him or offer help. When his father heard about the light sentence, he urged the district attorney to reject the plea. A new trial was ordered, and throughout that process, Vince received support from the victim witness assistance staff in many ways - help in modifying his home to be wheelchair accessible, counseling for his son, replacement of lost wages, and help in preparing a victim impact statement. Throughout his ordeal, Vince and his family remained upbeat - and very grateful for the help and support they received from the deputy district attorney who handled the case, from the victim witness staff, and from the community. The hit-and-run driver pled to the court and was sentenced to two years in state prison.

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