Since its inception, advocacy on the behalf of homicide survivors has been a major goal of SOH.  Such advocacy continues and can take a number of different forms. 

SOH advocates for survivors in individual cases before a variety of state agencies and commissions for rights and the provision of services. 

SOH also advocates at the state capitol for the promotion and furtherance of crime victims’ rights and services.  SOH played a key role in helping to get our state constitution amended to afford crime victims substantive rights to participate in our criminal justice system.  SOH was also instrumental in the creation of an independent state agency, the Office of the Victim Advocate, that serves as a watchdog over the criminal justice system to make certain that crime victims’ rights in Connecticut are being honored and respected by criminal justice professionals.

Through its extensive lobbying efforts and testimony offered by individual members before various committees of our state legislature, SOH has worked to get a number of laws passed to further and enhance the rights and services afforded to crime victims in Connecticut, including the following:

·         Various laws to enhance crime victim notification of court proceedings and related criminal justice system proceedings.

·         A law giving the state prosecutor the authority to display a picture of the victim during closing arguments at trial in homicide cases.

·         A law providing employment protection for crime victims.  It is now illegal in Connecticut to penalize or retaliate in any way against an employee/crime-victim for missing work to attend court proceedings related to the prosecution of their criminal matter.

·         A law requiring judges to advise crime victims of their state constitutional rights in open court at all arraignment proceedings just as they must give a general advisement to criminal defendants of their rights.

In future legislative sessions, SOH will propose legislation and lobby our lawmakers for the following changes to our state laws:

·         Legislation to increase the amount of compensation provided to crime victims, including additional resources to increase the number of counseling sessions for survivors and compensation to victims or survivors for costs they incur in attending trials or court proceedings.

·         Legislation to fund existing provision in the law making low or no interest loans available to homicide survivors where the crime victim was the primary wage earner.

·         Legislation requiring local police to treat any missing child under the age of 16 as a "missing person” rather than as a "runaway."

·         Legislation eliminating the statute of limitations in wrongful death suits brought by survivors against individuals convicted of murder or manslaughter.

·         Legislation imposing a limit of three years on the right of anyone convicted of murder or manslaughter to file a habeas corpus petition.

At the national level, Survivors of Homicide will continue to advocate for passage of a National Victim Rights Amendment to the Federal Constitution.