Gov. Tim Kaine recently announced the appointment of 37 members to his Commission on Sexual Violence in an effort to review and improve the Commonwealth's ability to treat and prevent violent sexual offenses.
"The Commonwealth has made considerable progress in the management of sexually violent predators," Kaine said in a news release. "We now need to focus the same level of energy and attention on the treatment of victims and the prevention of future acts."
The Commission was formed as a response to recent initiatives taken by the General Assembly to deal with sexual predators.
The Commission will review the 150 recommendations made in six past reports on the subject and issue a report to the governor by Sept. 30, 2007. It will examine the status and trends of sexual violence within the Commonwealth and make recommendations on how to address victims of sexual violence, according to Marilyn Harris, deputy secretary of public health.
"We're going to take a look at where we are and where we need to go," Harris said. "We're going into this with open minds. We really have no preconceived notions about what the outcomes or the recommendations of the Commission will be."
The Commission will meet for the first time Thursday morning at the Virginia Science Museum in Richmond and will be chaired by Marilyn B. Tavenner, secretary of health and human resources, and Secretary of Public Safety John W. Marshall. The members also include experts from across the state, chosen by the secretary of the Commonwealth, Harris said.
Chief Michael Marshall of the Virginia Military Institute police department noted the breadth of experience brought by his fellow board members.
"The makeup is very diverse," he said. "I think it will assist with the decision-making and [determining] what direction we need to go in."
Marshall, who worked with University Police prior to VMI, was nominated and chosen on the basis of his work with Project Horizon, an organization that deals with sexual assault and domestic abuse in Lexington, Va.
"It's an honor to be chosen by the governor," Marshall said. "It shows that this is a very important topic that we're going to be tasked with as a group, and we need to uphold our responsibility and look at every facet of what's been in place previously."
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