Murder Victims Families for Reconcilition today released a new report, Dignity Denied.

The report reveals the bias against surviving family members of murder victims who oppose the death penalty.

"From prosecutors, judges, police officers, policymakers, and the victim services community, victims’ family members who oppose the death penalty seek two things: awareness of our perspective and recognition that victims who oppose the death penalty are as deserving of respect and dignity as those who support it. "

"Today, as MVFR publishes this account of silencing and discrimination against anti-death-penalty victims, we are not aware of a single protocol in the office of any prosecutor in the United States that alerts victim assistants to the possibility that some family members of victims may oppose the death penalty and that they are entitled to the same assistance as those who support it."

"Some advocates see victims who oppose the death penalty as more closely identified with the defendant than with their own status as victims, thus rendering them ineligible for or undeserving of advocates' help....Such a view disregards the possibility that survivors may oppose the death penalty for
their own reasons, not because of sympathy for the murderer."

"Dignity Denied" challenges lawmakers, the federal government's Office of Victims of Crime, and leaders within the victims' services community to address past and current discrimination and commit to equitable treatment of survivors of homicide victims. "

"Specifically, the report recommends that victims' rights laws should be amended to ban discrimination based upon a victim's position on the death penalty; victims' services should be administered independently, not as part of the prosecutor's office; and leaders in the victims' services community should develop protocols for serving victims' families who oppose the death penalty."

For those of you who are not familiar with MVFR, here is a portion of their mission statement:

"Founded in 1976, Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation is a national organization of family members of both homicide and state killings who oppose the death penalty in all cases. Our mission is to abolish the death penalty. We advocate for programs and policies that reduce the rate of homicide and promote crime prevention and alternatives to violence. We support programs that address the needs of victims, helping them to rebuild their lives."

And here is the statement of Marie Deans, founder of Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation"

"After a murder, victims' families face two things: a death and a crime. At these times, families need help to cope with their grief and loss, and support to heal their hearts and rebuild their lives. From experience, we know that revenge is not the answer. The answer lies in reducing violence, not causing more death. The answer lies in supporting those who grieve for their lost loved ones, not creating more grieving families. It is time we break the cycle of violence. To those who say society must take a life for a life, we say: 'not in our name.' "