The holidays can be an especially difficult time for people who have experienced crime, particularly survivors of homicide victims. While others gather in celebration, many victims and families are quietly carrying trauma, grief, anxiety, and depression that do not fade with time or good intentions alone. At MCVRC, we believe mental health care is not optional for crime victims. It is essential.

Crime victims are never the ones who choose violence, yet they are often left with the emotional consequences and few places to turn. Counseling can be costly, insurance coverage is inconsistent, and waitlists are long. Too often, victims are expected to move forward without meaningful support. We know that healing requires more than time. It requires access to care and community.

Our Counseling and Support Programs

MCVRC offers a mental health counseling program specifically for crime victims and survivors of homicide, designed to remove barriers at the moment support is needed most.

Through grant funding, we are able to provide:

• The first six individual counseling sessions at no cost to the client
• Assistance while we work to secure insurance coverage for continued care, when possible
• Trauma informed counseling tailored to the unique experiences of crime victims

We partnered with Safe Harbor Behavioral Care, which offers both in person and telehealth counseling services. Safe Harbor has multiple physical locations serving communities from Frederick to Waldorf and from the Washington, D.C. suburbs to Baltimore. Their telehealth services ensure that victims anywhere in Maryland can access counseling, regardless of location or transportation barriers.

In addition to individual counseling, MCVRC also offers two support groups to help survivors connect with others who understand their experiences:

• A monthly Homicide Survivor Support Group for individuals and families grieving the loss of a loved one to homicide all costs covered.
• A monthly Spanish-speaking Crime Survivor Support Group that provides culturally and linguistically accessible support all costs covered.

These groups offer a safe and supportive space where survivors can share, listen, and heal together.

Why This Matters

Mental health counseling and peer support can be life-changing. They help victims:

• Process trauma and profound grief,
• Reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD,
• Rebuild a sense of safety and stability,
• Begin healing, not just surviving.

Victims did not choose crime to enter their lives. They should not have to fight for care afterward.

As the year comes to a close, we remain committed to ensure victims are supported not only in the legal system, but throughout their healing journey.

No victim should be left to carry trauma alone, especially during the most difficult season of the year.

How to Sign Up

Please call us at 1-888-VICTIM-1 or start an online intake at www.mdcrimevictims.org to sign up for our support services through Safe Harbor.

Earlier this month, we had the privilege of awarding Debra Tall (MCVRC Board Chair) with the Roberta Roper Lifetime Achievement Award. Although we missed celebrating her at our annual Gala, we were honored to recognize her outstanding contributions at our holiday party, surrounded by colleagues and friends who deeply appreciate her lifelong commitment to victims’ services.

Maryland, we NEED your help! HB 853 would allow people convicted of serious violent crimes to request a new sentencing hearing after just 20 years. Families who’ve already been through unimaginable loss could be forced back into court to face the person who changed their lives forever. It’s NOT right, and it’s not safe.

We’re asking Governor Moore to amend The Second Look act, and we’ve started a petition to make sure our voices are heard.

If you want to stand with victims and keep our communities safe, please take a moment to sign and share. Help us reach our goal of 5,000 signatures!

https://www.change.org/Help-Crime-Victims

MCVRC started an Employee of the Month Award "Journey to Justice"-- a monthly recognition to celebrate team members who go above and beyond in their role. This initiative is designed to foster a culture of appreciation, collaboration, and excellence across all departments.

Congratulations to our fourth awardee: Alonzo Robertson! 🎉

Alonzo was nominated by Atrina R. (our November Journey to Justice recipient) for tirelessly working on his cases with a deep knowledge and understanding of each client, treating them as if they were his only one. Handling some of the most sensitive matters in a client’s life, Alonzo provides reassurance and quells any doubts with professionalism and empathy. 

1. Starting in 2026, our monthly homicide survivors' meetings will be held on the second Thursday of the month. The next meeting will take place on Thursday, January 8, 2026. 

It is held in a hybrid format, both virtually and in person at the Upper Marlboro Office (1001 Prince George’s Blvd, Suite 750, Upper Marlboro, MD).

The Support Group is a safe place for friends and family members of victims of homicide to meet, discuss, and support each other. All participants need to call us and request a referral to the homicide support group only (if you prefer individual counseling, we offer that too). 

2. Spanish Speaking Support Group will be held the first Wednesday of the month. The next meeting will take place Wednesday, January 7th. These are hold virtually only.

3. Individual Counseling is also available for individuals that prefer one on one sessions. Services are available virtually and in person. It may take 1-2 weeks to be seen with an in- person counselor depending on client’s needs and location. Virtual counseling is available within a week.

You can reach MCVRC at 877-VICTIM1 to get put on the referral list. 

Click HERE to reserve your spot!

As the year comes to an end, we want to remind you that there’s still time to make a difference. Your support plays a vital role in the lives of crime victims and their families, helping us continue our mission to provide essential resources, support, and advocacy for those who need it most. 💜

DONATE HERE

1. On November 17, 2025, Prince George's Circuit Judge Krystal Quinn Alves granted MCVRC's motion, which the State's Attorney had opposed, to dismiss a convicted juvenile murderer's request to be resentenced after 20 years of incarceration. Previously, this juvenile, who has been incarcerated since 1990, successfully obtained a resentencing in 2023 which lowered his four consecutive life sentences without parole to four concurrent life sentences with parole. The MCVRC motion, prepared by MCVRC attorney Victor Stone, pointed out that the 2021 statute allowing resentencing only applies to those sentenced prior to October 1, 2021, and this defendant's resentencing in 2023 disqualified him from additional judicial resentencing's. The court issued a 20-page opinion on December 9, 2025, finding that MCVRC's objections on behalf of the crime victim were meritorious and the defendant's request violated both the sentence reduction statute and also "victims' statutory rights". The defendant has filed a notice of appeal.

2. On December 22, 2025, a 3-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the drug distribution and murder, committed in connection with drug distribution, of defendant Madani Tejan who was previously convicted after a jury trial in Federal Court at Greenbelt, Maryland. The victims in the case were represented by MCVRC attorney Victor Stone and restitution was sought and ordered.

Each day we find motivation to continue to be a voice for those who need one.

These are a small fraction of the faces that motivate us. Their names and photos are taken from our Ceremony of Remembrance event slideshow. Each Wednesday, we share a life that was taken on that date and we celebrate them to remind us that crime is not victimless. These people are real, and their families miss them. These faces are "why we fight."