North Carolina DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION Jim Hunt, Governor Theodis Beck, Secretary
Tracy Little, Acting Director of Public Information (919) 733-4926

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2000

 Public Education Campaign Reaches Out to Crime Victims

RALEIGH – The Department of Correction’s Victim Services has launched a statewide public service campaign aimed at educating and empowering victims whose offenders are in prison or on probation.

The campaign revolves around the losses suffered by victims of crime - affection, self-esteem and laughter. The posters feature black-and-white images of individuals with the physical representation of the missing emotion blocked out by a white card pack. The mouth represents laughter, a face in the mirror represents self-esteem and a tender hand on the shoulder represents affection. The cards, which may be torn off, lists the toll-free phone number for DOC Victim Services.

"The Department of Correction is committed to providing meaningful and effective services to victims of crime," said Secretary Theodis Beck. "This campaign will help us reach out to victims to let them know that we care about their needs and concerns."

The posters are being distributed to victim service agencies, District Attorney's offices and law enforcement agencies statewide.

McKinney & Silver, a Raleigh-based advertising agency, developed the campaign free of charge. Production fees were paid through a grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission.

Agencies interested in obtaining posters for display may contact DOC Victim Services at 1-800-368-1985. The posters are free and will be delivered at no cost.

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