The Debbie Smith Act

August 2011

Dear Friends of H-E-A-R-T,

I hope you’ve all been having a wonderful summer and you’ve had some time for relaxing with family and friends.  Summer’s end is in sight and very soon our normal routines will resume.  The picnics, swimsuits and barbecues will all be packed away and replaced with backpacks, pencils, paper, much cooler temperatures and fall foliage.  

On August 4, 2011, H-E-A-R-T presented its first Paul Ferrara Achievement Award to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for its extraordinary achievement and continued commitment to helping victims of crime.  This award was named to honor the memory of Dr. Paul Ferrara whose vision and leadership, as Director of the Virginia Crime Laboratory and a member of Attorney General Janet Reno’s Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence, was responsible for Virginia being the first state to offer forensic DNA testing to law enforcement and was the first state to implement a DNA database system.  I was among the first to benefit from his passion for victims of crime.  Dr. Ferrara never forgot that each rape kit represented a life, someone waiting for justice, and he knew that each untested offender sample may provide the identity to an unnamed rapist.  He is greatly missed.

The fall is always a busy time for H-E-A-R-T and this year is no exception.  Our annual golf tournament, our biggest fundraiser of the year, is October 12th.  In this economic climate it has been a hard year for us. Please pass the clicking on golf tournament.

We will also be hosting our very first Victim to Victim Retreat October 26th -30th.  We are collecting supplies, putting the final touches on the curriculum and sending out applications.  Thanks to a wonderful steering committee a simple idea has become a reality.   They have worked tirelessly for two years and I cannot thank them enough! 

Please enjoy the rest of your summer and know that I appreciate each and every one of you.  You are making a difference!  

From my heart,                                                                                                                                
Debbie Smith

For more information about The Debbie Smith Act, visit the website of Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney at http://www.house.gov/maloney/issues/DebbieSmith/

On March 3,1989, Debbie Smith was kidnapped from her home while her husband, a police officer, was sleeping upstairs. She was dragged into the woods behind her Williamsburg , Virginia home and raped. The rapist threatened Debbie not to tell, and reminded her that he knew where she lived. Bravely, Debbie went forward and told her husband Robert of the assault. The rape was officially reported and she consented to a forensic exam.

After the sexual assault, Debbie feared that her unknown attacker would return to further harm her or her family. This fear was paralyzing. During the first few years following this attack, Debbie was suicidal. Only the fear of her family finding her body prevented her from following this thought through. Some days, she and Robert drove around Williamsburg looking at homes because Debbie wanted to move. Other days she felt furious at her attacker for the effect he had on her and her family. On those days, she refused to move.

The traumatic effect of the assault remained with Debbie and her family for six and ½ years, and then her perpetrator was finally caught through a DNA database known as CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). The man who sexually assaulted her had abducted and robbed two other women. Their attacker was identified through an ATM photo where he made them take out their money. When his DNA was put into the system there was a match. Debbie’s attacker was convicted of rape, abduction, robbery, burglary and larceny. He was sentenced to two life terms plus 25 years in prison.

Because of the suffering Debbie and countless other victims of sexual assault have faced, legislation has been passed to improve investigations and services for this crime.  The Debbie Smith Act, now part of the Justice For All Act of 2004, was signed into law on October 30, 2004.  For a complete look at this law, see the web site noted above. 

Debbie Smith travels around the country with her husband Robert to talk about her experience. Her purposes for talking about the attack are to help in her healing and to be a voice for the many women who have not been able to speak out. They would like to take away the stigma that comes with rape that puts the blame back on the victim. They would also like to put rapists in jail before they have a chance to continue their rampage, as most rapists will attack between eight and twelve women.