CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office says they have had enough with violent gun crimes, sex crimes, and crimes against children being treated just like any other offense, and they are amping up the punishments to change that.
Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Debra Rusnak gathered with Kanawha County Sheriffs, commissioners among other public servants Tuesday morning to announce the launch of the Victim’s VOICE, “The New Violent Offender Initiative for Community Empowerment.”
Debra Rusnak
“For too long, violent gun crime, violent sex crimes, and violent crimes against children have been treated just like any other crime, that stops today, enough is enough,” Rusnak announced at the press conference Tuesday.
Starting Tuesday, the prosecutors office will be enacting the new policy which includes the following:
— No agreed personal recognizance bonds or bond reductions for any defendant charged with violent gun crimes, violent sexual crimes, or violent crimes against children
— No agreed release for treatment for any defendant charged with such crimes
— No plea bargains that reduce felonies to misdemeanors for any defendant charged with such crimes
Rusnak said these policy changes that come with the VOICE Initiative help make the system more fair and balanced by demanding more accountability for defendants of violent crimes as well as better protecting and bringing justice to the victims involved.
“The county has seen enough low bail or no bail personal recognizance bonds, enough routine release to drug treatment, whether it’s appropriate or not, and enough plea bargains that are no bargains for victims at all,” she said.
For the initiative, Rusnak said she has created five new supervisory positions within her office who will assist in identifying available resources, learn the attorney needs and characteristics, and provide guidance and mentorship.
In addition, she said the circuit attorneys will discuss plea offers with these section chiefs to ensure they get the best, most just resolution in these types of cases.
Rusnak said she got tired of watching violent case after violent case come through her office that allowed for outcomes to seemingly go unchecked and without any consideration for more severe punishments for such extreme crimes.
“I realized we just simply weren’t doing enough, and so I realized we needed to implement some different policies to allow for better outcomes in cases, to allow for better communication with my office and victims, and to allow for better communication with my office and law enforcement officers as well,” she said.
Rusnak said they hope that by getting this message across to defendants of violent crimes that these crimes will no longer be taken as lightly, it will stop them from going through with them to begin with.
“Perhaps it will serve as a deterrent to keep those individuals from committing those crimes and keep our individuals and our citizens in the community safe,” she said.
Rusnak said she would love to see the initiative be implemented in not just other counties in the state but across the country.
She said it’s an aim that will protect everyone involved.
“At the end of the day, our job as prosecutors is to ensure that we are getting justice, we’re doing the right thing and we’re keeping the community safe, and that’s what we aim to do with the Victim’s Voice Initiative,” said Rusnak.