For Immediate Release

April 24, 2025

Statement from National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) executive director Meg Garvin, MA, JD, Mst and board president Sean Riddell, JD on the U.S. Department of Justice Crime Victim Grant Cuts:

“It is with shock, sadness, and yes, some anger, that we share bitter news with our community.

This past Tuesday, April 22nd, the National Crime Victim Law Institute was among the many nonprofits across the country that received notice of “termination of award” from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. Two projects have been impacted—one focused on effective legal services for victims of crime with disabilities, and another supporting emerging lawyers representing victims regarding their rights across 20+ jurisdictions.

The total dollars lost are nearly $470,000. NCVLI had already tightened its belt in anticipation of tight times, but this loss represents nearly 60% of our projected budget for the next 12 months.

Yes, the number is striking, and the impact on us as an agency is undeniable—but perhaps the greatest loss can’t be measured in numbers at all.

What is being lost is provision of quality legal services for victims of crime in this country. What is being lost is the very promise of victims’ rights—that every victim is treated with dignity and fairness. NCVLI’s team works every day to ensure that crime victims across this country have access to trained lawyers who walk beside them, helping to navigate the justice process and advocating for the rights they are entitled to by law.

With the disappearance of these grants, a vital part of justice disappears with them. Communities will be worse off because victims will be less likely to enter a justice system that they no longer trust. Accountability will erode, as those who violate the law will face fewer consequences. And those who do seek help will have fewer trained lawyers to serve them. Victims will hear the message loud and clear: neither you nor your rights matter.

In December 1982, President Ronald Reagan’s Task Force on Victims of Crime declared, “The neglect of crime victims is a national disgrace.” This week, we fear that decades of progress have been undone.

NCVLI is committed to the victims of crime in this country. The path ahead is unclear right now, but we are determined to find it and shine a light on it. We have to.”

Meg Garvin, MA, JD, MSt – Executive Director
Sean Riddell, JD – Board President
National Crime Victim Law Institute

Contact:
Meg Garvin, Executive Director
National Crime Victim Law Institute
[email protected]
(503)830-9472 (c)
(503)768-6953 (o)

Background on Meg Garvin:
Meg Garvin, MA, JD, MsT, is the Executive Director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) and a Clinical Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark Law School. Professor Garvin is recognized as a leading expert on victims’ rights. She has testified before Congress, state legislatures and the Judicial Proceedings Panel on Sexual Assault in the Military. In her expert capacity she serves on the Defense Advisory Committee on Investigation, Prosecution and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces, and is a Member of the Council on Criminal Justice. She previously served on the the Victims Advisory Group of the United States Sentencing Commission, the Victim Services Subcommittee, of the Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crime Panel of the United States Department of Defense, as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Victims Committee, co-chair of the Oregon Attorney General’s Crime Victims’ Rights Task Force and as a member of the Legislative & Public Policy Committee of the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her work, including in 2012 Crime Victims First-Stewart Family Outstanding Community Service Award; in 2015 the John W. Gillis Leadership Award from National Parents of Murdered Children; in 2020, the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section’s Frank Carrington Crime Victim Attorney Award, and in 2021, the Hardy Myers Victim Advocacy Award from the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center. Prior to joining NCVLI, Professor Garvin practiced law in Minneapolis, Minnesota and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound, her Master of Arts degree in communication studies from the University of Iowa, her JD from the University of Minnesota, and her Masters in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University.

Background on Sean Riddell:
Sean Riddell is a native of Long Valley, New Jersey. He graduated in May of 1994 from LeMoyne College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy. Sean entered Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, in June of 1994 and graduated a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps twelve weeks later. After completing his initial training at The Basic School, Sean attended the Infantry Officer’s Course and reported to his first assignment as an Infantry Platoon Commander with 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Sean left active duty Marine Corps in June of 1998, graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in May of 2001, and passed the bar in September of 2001. Sean started work as a Deputy District Attorney with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office in June of 2002 and prosecuted misdemeanor offenses, felony property crimes, domestic violence crimes, sexual assault crimes, homicides, aggravated murders, gun related crimes, financial fraud crimes and gang related crimes. Sean left the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in June of 2009 to serve as a prosecutor with the Oregon Department of Justice. Sean worked in the Criminal Justice Division for two years and the Civil Litigation Division of the Oregon Department of Justice for one year, before starting his own practice in June of 2012. Between 2002 and 2012, Sean was recalled twice to active duty by the Marine Corps to serve in Iraq as a Combat Engineer Officer in support of Operation Iraq Freedom. Sean focuses his practice on representing victims of crimes, law enforcement officers and veterans. Sean’s practice touches several areas of the law including, but not limited to: plaintiff personal injury; labor disputes; internal affairs investigations; veteran’s preference in public employment; whistleblower protections; and civil rights litigation. Sean remained active in the Marine Corps Reserves after his deployments. He served in various billets over the years including: Battalion Commander; Engineer Officer for Marine Forces Pacific; and Deputy Regimental Commander. He has served in several countries including: South Korea, Latvia; Lithuania; Tunisia; Israel; Iraq; Kuwait; Albania; and France. Sean also completed his Masters in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College in June of 2014. Sean was elected to the NCVLI board in May of 2019.

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