As part of our ongoing effort to elevate the importance of equal rights for crime victims, we’re pleased to share this op-ed written by Kristen Fish, originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal.
July 20th, 2025
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity -- including victims of crime.
As someone who has spent my career working with communities to rebuild, reinvest and create physical environments that are safe and appealing, I’ve come to believe that public safety and community well-being go hand in hand. What does justice look like for those who’ve experienced harm? Victims of crime deserve to be treated with dignity, have a voice and know their rights will be protected.
That’s why I support strong victims’ rights protections, such as those provided by Wisconsin’s crime victims’ rights constitutional amendment known as Marsy’s Law. These rights are not abstract. They’re very clear and incredibly important to uphold. Notifying victims before a court hearing and making sure they have the opportunity to be heard are crucial to ensuring they aren’t left in the dark about what’s happening in their own case.
Thanks to Marsy’s Law, crime victims have real rights when they’re at their most vulnerable. No justice system should move forward without ensuring victims are treated with the respect they deserve. We are fortunate to have Marsy’s Law in our state constitution to ensure that is happening here in Wisconsin.