The work of nonprofits outside the legal system is crucial to victims of crime and requires an investment from Tennessee government.(Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
I was a criminal prosecutor for seven years, and while I met with hundreds of crime victims during that time, I never became numb to the experience. When you see fear in the eyes of a domestic violence victim, or stand with someone who has lost their sense of personal safety after a home invasion, it changes you.
For me, each encounter strengthened my resolve to find justice for them. That meant two things: holding the people who hurt them accountable but also doing whatever I could to help put the victim’s life back together…