 Name: Janice Sager
Age: 45
Occupation: Executive Director for Texans for Equal Justice
Hometown: Conroe
Family: Husband, Joe; son, Jason, 25; daughter, Jody, 23; and granddaughter, Abigail, 3
Janice Sager learned a lot about the criminal justice system when her father and brother were murdered in an east Montgomery County bar in 1978.
"I just assumed that when something like that happens, then the system kicks in and goes to work on your behalf," she said. "But that's not necessarily true," she said.
Sager learned a lot of painful lessons in the years that followed, especially when the man who killed two of her closest family members was sentenced to three years' probation.
"I was totally ignorant to how the system works, and I didn't know who to go to to get the answers," she said. "I learned that it's not really a system at all, and I needed someone to take an interest in what I was doing, to point me in the right direction. It was 1991 before I learned that crime victims had any rights at all. I decided if there was anything I could do about it, then I would make sure no one else had to go through the hell me and my family went through."
Sager, a hotel auditor then, was angry and frustrated, but she vowed to turn her experiences around and use them to help others.
"I wanted to do something positive for people who have been victimized and revictimized," she said.
In 1993, Sager got together with four others she had met who were also dissatisfied with the services available to crime victims.
"The common thread was frustration," she said. "We had all learned a lot about the criminal justice system through our experiences. We talked about ways to prevent victims from being revictimized by the system."
Together, that group formed what is today the Texans for Equal Justice, a statewide organization that gives information and advocacy to victims of crime.
"There were a lot of options we talked about," she said. "We wanted to be educational, and a source for people who are learning about the criminal justice system and crime victims' rights."
Now, as executive director of the organization, Sager said the Conroe-based group, which is made up almost entirely of volunteers, also helps victims in their pursuit of crime victims' compensation funds. They provide emotional support and offer scholarship programs for survivors of homicide victims.
"We help any victim of any crime," she said. Although Sager is quick to talk about her organization, she turns shy as soon as the spotlight is turned on her.
She recently received the prestigious "Pathfinder" award from Texas Gov. Rick Perry but didn't mention it. When asked, she said she is grateful for the award, but a little embarrassed.
The award is given to individuals who do exceptional work in the area of victim services. She was nominated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services Division.
"It's strange because you pour blood, sweat and tears into something because you believe in it," she said. "You don't do it for recognition."
Her husband Joe said Janice is most deserving of this, her latest, award.
"I think it's outstanding," the refrigeration technician said. "She's a modest person, and she doesn't like getting awards because this is just something she believes in. A lot of times, I campaign for her because she won't do it herself. I tell her all the time, 'it's your peers respecting you and appreciating what you do.'"
Joe said living with the executive director of such a small but essential organization has permeated every aspect of their lives.
"Since 1993, we've lived this," he said. "For the longest time, Texans for Equal Justice was in our home. She lives it.
"The whole family does, and it's because we want to, not because she makes us," he added with a laugh.
"There needs to be somebody for someone out there all the time," and that's what Texans for Equal Justice does," he said. "When you are affected by crime, you really don't have anywhere to go sometimes. Organizations like Texans for Equal Justice fill in those gaps."
Joe said his wife even pays for counseling for some victims with her own money, and often pays for expenses when she has to travel to meet with victims throughout the state.
Just last week, the couple was in San Antonio, working with the victims of an unsolved homicide in their efforts to put together a flier campaign.
"It's a labor of love," Janice said.
To reach TEJ, call (936) 537-3676 or visit www.TexansforEqualJustice.org |
|
©The Courier 2001
|
|
