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Suffolk County District Attorney Ray\u00a0Tierney said the criminal justice system has become \u201cmore antagonistic\u201d to victims and their families Sunday as he joined about two dozen people in Hauppauge to remember and celebrate the lives of more than 600 people murdered in recent decades.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Tierney spoke at a gathering at the Victims Memorial Monument at Suffolk County\u2019s H. Lee Dennison Building that was sponsored by the Long Island\/New York Metro Chapter of\u00a0Parents and Other Survivors of Murdered Victims. Members later read the names of murder victims whose families and friends have been involved in the organization created in 1981. The event marked the end of National Crime Victims Rights Week.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been a prosecutor for 27 years, and I always knew\u00a0that the criminal justice system, it’s not a system that is friendly or easy for crime victims and their families to navigate,\u201d Tierney said.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s difficult. It\u2019s always been difficult. The constitutional protections are stacked to protect the accused, which is fine, that\u2019s our system. But I think even now, it has gotten worse, it has become more antagonistic to crime victims and their families.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Tierney said his office is taking steps to make the criminal justice system more accessible to victims and their families.\u00a0\u201cWe are putting the focus on where it belongs, that is on public safety, that is on the victim and their family.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
POMV\u00a0director Barbara Connelly of Shirley\u00a0and other volunteers read the names of 668 murder victims, including many killed on Long Island.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it is so hard in here,\u201d Connelly said, gesturing to her heart, \u201cbecause you feel every single name and you know all the suffering the family has done. Every victim deserves to have their name said out loud and clear.\u201d <\/p>\n
Connelly, whose son Jimmy Connelly was 15 years old when he was murdered in Nassau County in 1979, agreed with Tierney’s sentiments about\u00a0the criminal justice system. She called on legislators to support a bill that would require officials to notify families when murderers complete parole.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Connelly said her son was a computer geek back in the 1970s, long before the Internet became a crucial part of life. She predicted he would have become a leader in the tech world. \u201cAll these victims, what would they have accomplished?\u201d Connelly asked.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
POMV board member Nancy Wingender ended the event by reminding the loved ones of murdered people that they, too, are victims.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\u201cThe tragic ending of all these loved ones should never be forgotten.\u201d Wingender said. \u201cAs members, we never truly heal. But we carry on to honor their stories and lives.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n