OUR MISSION
Crime touches all our lives—anyone can be accused, know someone accused, or serve on a jury. Mitigation gets to the why behind a crime, helping jurors, DAs, and attorneys to work for fair and appropriate punishments. But most people have never heard of it. Our group is determined to change that.
Heart of Justice merges community organizing and criminal defense. A for-profit organization with focus on mitigation investigations, case consultation and education resources for anyone seeking to understand criminal defense sentencing.
ABOUT VICTORIA
How did a former broadcast journalist from Lubbock, Texas, become a leading professional advocate for fair sentencing? The answer lies in her passion for justice and drive to empower attorneys and defendants.
Victoria Rusk has criss-crossed Texas, and points beyond, notebook in hand, to interview clients and witnesses, to comb through stacks of medical records, or meet with experts and attorneys. She’s visited schools and state prisons, courthouses and jails, church gatherings and private backyards in search of the truth. The goal is to piece together the puzzle of the why behind a crime. And the stakes couldn’t be higher than the life sentence or death penalty many of her clients face.
Victoria’s determination is to see skilled mitigation become the norm, not the exception. In the past 3 years, she published a book, presented at legal conferences and of course, continues her practice across country roads and city freeways in search of justice.
ONE HANDBOOK FOR COMMUNITY FACING MITIGATION EDUCATION
WITH A FOREWORD BY TYNICE HALL : 35 Year Federal Sentence commuted by President Donald J. Trump in 2020
Introducing the concept of mitigation, a process to discover and present factors in a criminal defendant’s life that can influence sentencing and avoid harsh punishment.
REVIEWS BY TRIAL ATTORNEYS
Seasoned criminal attorneys agree on the value of mitigation
Victoria Rusk has worked with me as the mitigation specialist in several capital cases in Fort Bend County TX. She has also facilitated frequent contact with clients and witnesses which has resulted in quality defenses for the accused, and made me a better lawyer.
Stephen A. Doggett Attorney At Law
Victoria is a m
itigation expert with a wonderful ability to gain the insight needed to advocate for a proper sentence in this business. Her storytelling and mitigation evidence combination is superior.
Cary M. Faden (Hughes Faden Law)
Victoria’s approach to her work is simply great. Clear and concise in many ways, based on her work with my firm handling multiple capital murder cases. She shows how she gathered witnesses (even some who had disappeared), developed rapport with family members, drafted universal themes, and suggested expert witnesses who helped us tell a better story.
Tyrone Moncriffe (Moncriffe & Associates)
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MITIGATION SPECIALIST?
If you have a heart for justice and an entrepreneurial mindset you could become an effective mitigation specialist.
In turn, Heart of Justice has created Mitigation University, a series of online presentations and resources on mitigation investigation for criminal cases.
As mitigation can be used in a variety of settings, this course is suitable for any professional preparing for punishment trials, plea bargains or death-waivers in capital murder cases.
CONTACT US
Heart of Justice LLC
Houston, TX
info@heartofjustice.org
(346) 297-0183