Since the first crime victim compensation program was enacted in 1972, every new addition of a

law or penalty only helped the victim achieve a sense of justice. U.S. Congress passed the strongest
federal crime victims legislation in nations history after failure to approve a Federal Constitutional
Amendment; H.R. 5107, The Justice For All Act of 2004, strengthens the rights of victims of federal
crimes and provides enforcement and remedies when there is failure to comply; Title 1 is named in
honor of five victims: Scott Campbell, Stephanie Roper, Wendy Preston, Louarna Gillis and Nila Lynn;
H.R. 5107 also includes provisions for DNA analysis backlog.
Victims of any crime have the right to justice served. The Crime Victims Rights Act of 2004
created a task force whose overall goal was to review all policies and different programs affecting
crime victims then inform the President as well as the Attorney General with ideas to enforce actions
to improve efforts to assist and protect victims.
Is vengeance acceptable when you know you are going to break the law? I believe so, on June
9, of this year a man heard the cries of his 5 year old daughter behind their barn, there she was being
molested by their hired ranch hand. The father losing all sense of reason beat the man to death, then
called the cops frantically trying to revive him, but it was too late. In declining to indict the 23-year-
old father in the June 9 killing of Jesus Mora Flores, a Lavaca County grand jury reached the same
conclusion as investigators and many of the father's neighbors: He was authorized to use deadly
force to protect his daughter. "It's sad a man had to die," said Michael James Veit, 48, who lives
across the street from where the attack happened in this small community run on ranching and the
Shiner beer brewery. "But I think anybody would have done that." (Huffington Post 2010) So in
certain situations with certain circumstances, seeking vengeance while breaking the law is
acceptable.
I think that the basis of SNAP is very admirable, there are a record number of cases where
priests have sexually assaulted young boys, and that there needs to be a support group as well as a
means for financial compensation to offset the cost of counseling. SNAP has been court ordered to
release information on alleged sex abuse victims. This information has been requested because it is
believed that an attorney for the plaintiff in a sex abuse case violated a gag order in leaking
information to SNAP. SNAP's founder has been deposed, and the Missouri state Supreme Court has
refused to intervene. According to David Clohessy, the director and spokesman, it is the most
significant legal battle facing the organization in its 23 years and that he personally may be fined or
jailed. (Lyons 2003). As long as clergy think its acceptable to do what they do, SNAP will have a
reason to exist, because as they exist they are able to help everyone who is affected by this tragic
crime.


Huffington Post. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/father-kills-molester-texas-no-
charges_n_1610465.html
Daniel Lyons (September 15, 2003). "Paid to Picket". Forbes. Retrieved July 8, 2010.