ATLANTA, GA— In the shadow of the Washington Monument on the National Mall, Derek Marchman from Conyers, Georgia, was presented by Attorney General Merrick Garland the 2022 Crime Victims’ Rights Award by the Office for Victims of Crime, a component of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs.
The award presentation occurs at the culmination of events during the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. A celebration that began when President Ronald W. Reagan proclaimed the first Victims’ Rights Week in 1981, calling for greater sensitivity to the rights and needs of victims. This award honors the lifetime achievements of dedicated champions whose efforts to advance or enforce crime victims’ rights have benefited victims of crime at the state, tribal or national level.
“For more than 30 years, Derek Marchman has helped shape the victim assistance field in Georgia and throughout the nation by expanding funding and services and strengthening rights for crime victims,” said Amy L. Solomon, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of OJP. “His longstanding commitment to victims has made a difference in the lives of countless victims and survivors.”
Marchman began his criminal justice career as a probation officer, then worked with state legislators to improve victim services. At the Georgia Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Marchman was instrumental in enhancing services and funding for victims of crime. These efforts resulted in passing and initiating benefits associated with Georgia’s Victim Bill of Rights, Family Violence Act, and working with Georgia senators and then-Senator Biden on the Violence Against Women Act.
His efforts by helping enact institutional changes that promoted the availability of victims’ assistance funds to prosecutors, sheriffs, and police chiefs and worked to pass legislation that required a percentage of parole fees paid into the Crime Victims Fund. Many of these procedures are still in place today, with more than $20 million awarded to more than 4,800 survivors throughout the state annually.
A true example of Mr. Marchman’s abilities occurred while leading the victim assistance efforts in response to the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta, working 86 straight hours to address victims’ medical bills and family, travel, and privacy issues.
To have the freedom to do more, he later established the firm Marchman Consulting. He became a lecturer and trainer, building solid collaborations for change by bringing together different groups and fostering visionary thinking, initiatives, innovative methods, and creative ideas.
“Mr. Marchman has worked tirelessly to help improve the lives of crime victims through legislative advocacy that has yielded remarkable success and stamped his place on the victims’ rights field,” Kristina Rose, Director of OVC. “His visionary thinking and innovative methods, directed to improving victims’ lives, have made him a stalwart victim advocate and a model of service.”
Rockdale County Superior Court Judge Nancy Bills nominated Mr. Marchman for this honor in the nationwide nomination process. She believed he was a natural choice based on what he is currently doing to develop successful local initiatives and all he has done over the past 30 years. His work on behalf of victims, law enforcement, and the justice system should be recognized and emulated in the future.
Marchman Consulting aids communities to make an impact with all programs by assisting with data analysis, grant development, implementation, and evaluation for sustainability efforts. An example is the alcohol risk management (ARM) measures, including developing community plans, environmental scans, ordinance development, certification courses such as RASS for servers/owners, and training for ordinance enforcement.
