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By Becoming a member of CVAA you support our commitment to:
Significantly reduce the incidents of violent crime in America and future victimization
Reallocate victims and survivors to a central position within the criminal justice system
Improve rights and services for victims of violent crime at the local, state and national levels
Alert the public and elected officials to the costs of crime and violence
Contact Us
Mailing Address
Crime Victims Action Alliance
1809 S Street, #101316, Sacramento, CA 95811
ph: 916-273-3603 I toll-free/fax: 1-888-235-7067
email: information@cvactionalliance.org
Protecting the rights of victims through positive action
What to Do When the Police Leave:
A Guide to the First Days
of Traumatic Loss
by Bill Jenkins
Now released in a new and expanded Third Edition, this hopeful guide for surviving traumatic loss shares insights and practical advice born from direct experience in the trenches of grief and loss. Professional caregivers, service providers, and victim advocates contributed a wealth of information, but the perspective is profoundly personal and solely from the survivor’s point of view. Written in an easy to read style and format, and suitable for as wide a range of experiences and beliefs as possible, What to do When the Police Leave fills a valuable niche in the resources available to grieving families. In this age of school shootings, road rage, suicides, and catastrophe this book is quickly becoming known as one of the most important resources available to families stricken with the sudden loss of a loved one.
Homicide: The Hidden Victims:
A Resource for Professionals
by Deborah Spungen
Social scientist, victim advocate, and herself, the mother of a murder victim, Deborah Spungen is well acquainted with all facets of what she defines as "the blackest hell accompanied by a pain so intense that even breathing becomes an unendurable labor." In Homicide: The Hidden Victims, Spungen illustrates just how and why family members become co-victims when a loved one is murdered and she poignantly addresses the emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological effects of such traumatic events. The information and innovative modalities discussed in this book make it ideal for mental health and criminal justice professionals, pastoral counselors, social workers, and victim advocates.
Obsession
by John Douglas and
Mark Olshaker
In this book John Douglas, the founder and head of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit and the inspiration for the character of Jack Crawford in Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, along with Mark Olshaker, acclaimed novelist and film maker, probe the psyches of killer, rapists, and stalkers and their victims and tells how to fight back.
The Gift of Fear:
Survival Signals
by Gavin de Becker
This empowering book shows you how to spot the most subtle signs of danger - before it's too late. Gavin de Becker, a leading expert on predicting violent behavior, shows that you can predict violent behavior. Filled with unique and surprising insights into human behavior, the Gift of Fear is a must read for everyone.
Without Conscience:
The Disturbing World of the
Psychopaths Among Us
by Robert D.Hare, PhD
Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition.
Citizen Jane:
A True Story of Money,
Murder, and
one Woman's Mission
to Put a Killer Behind Bars
by Jane Alexander,
James Dalessandro,
and David Mehnert
In 1983, Jane Alexander was a sixty-one-year-old widow and mother of six children who lived in Marin County, California, with her romantic partner, Tom O’Donnell. A family friend for twenty-five years, Tom had captivated Jane with his carefree lifestyle and charming personality. He helped her through her grief after her husband’s death and promised her a happy future. But on October 23, Jane’s aunt, Gertrude McCabe, was found brutally murdered in her San Jose home. And the killer – Tom O’Donnell – fled with over $10,000 of Jane’s cash. Soon she discovered he had bilked her out of more than $200,000 of equity in her home, which she was about to lose.
With little forensic evidence to support an arrest, Jane Alexander worked diligently to bring her aunt’s murderer to justice. For thirteen years she fought through the bureaucratic red tape of the criminal justice system even as she struggled with bankruptcy. She would not stop until her former lover was behind bars…..
“Citizen Jane” is her story.
Ethics in Victim Services
by Melissa Hook
Ethical decision-making is a skill to be acquired. This handbook of ethical practice is a skill-building resource that will help victim assistance providers think through common ethical dilemmas. It offers practical tools and problem-solving techniques for addressing ethical challenges as they develop. Readers have the chance to assess their personal values, moral orientation, and personal bias to consider how these elements influence the decisions they make in the workplace.
No Room for Doubt:
A True Story of the
Reverberations of Murder
by Angela Dove
A daughter’s account of how one moment of violence shattered lives, made heroes, and continues to affect change in the world.
On March 25, 1988, Debi Whitlock was brutally murdered in her Modesto, California, home. Debi’s murder devastated her family—and sent her loved ones careening on radically different paths. Debi’s mother, Jacque, wanted answers. Over the next nine years, Jacque courageously fought what others called a losing battle—and learned how to deal with the authorities, the media, and the public so that her daughter’s killer would not go unpunished.
Debi’s husband, Harold, was tossed down another path. Police investigators focused their suspicions on him, eventually uncovering motives and opportunity—but never enough to make a case. Judged harshly in the court of public opinion, the once funny, intelligent, and fiercely loyal man fell into a spiral of guilt, anger, and alcoholism.
Told by Harold’s adult daughter—the last person to see Debi alive—this is the story of a terrible murder and investigation that led to the ultimate end of one man’s life, and a renewed sense of purpose and hope in one woman’s life.
The following two books tell the real stories of two women who made it there mission to see that justice was served for their loved ones that were violently murdered. Jane Alexander (deceased) and Jacque McDonald are two victim advocates that CVAA respects greatly and have worked closely with for many years.
Amazon.com Purchases
Support the Crime Victims Action Alliance by purchasing your Amazon.com books, DVDs, CDs or other items through this website. Simply use the search box below or if interested in purchasing one of the books listed on this page, just click on the Amazon.com button listed under the book image. Thank you for your support!