Citizens Against Homicide

Citizens Against Homicide (CAH) is a United States nonprofit public-benefit organization established in California in 1994. Its work is centered on people affected by homicide, particularly the relatives and friends of victims who must navigate grief, unsolved cases, prosecutions, parole proceedings, and the wider criminal-justice system. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer brand, CAH functions as an advocacy and support organization whose public identity is associated with victim remembrance, family assistance, and citizen participation in criminal-justice processes. The organization was cofounded by Jane Alexander and Jan Miller. Alexander became involved in the search for the person responsible for murdering her 88-year-old aunt, a thirteen-year effort that later inspired the book Citizen Jane. Miller’s 19-year-old daughter, Veronica, was murdered in an unsolved 1984 case. These personal experiences shaped CAH’s focus on the long-term needs of homicide survivors and on the difficulties families encounter when a case remains unresolved or when a convicted offender becomes eligible for parole. CAH’s stated activities include honoring people who have died through homicide, advocating for families seeking justice, and supporting legislation intended to protect the public from crime. The organization also assists families in understanding and engaging with the criminal-justice system. Its members have helped prosecution efforts by writing letters opposing the parole of convicted murderers and by offering practical advice to victims’ relatives. By 1998, CAH had developed activity in all 50 U.S. states and maintained a mailing list numbering in the thousands. This expansion gave the organization a national reach despite its California base. Its model relied substantially on a network of affected families, supporters, correspondence, and advocacy rather than on commercial products or services. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about CAH’s later organizational structure, finances, leadership succession, current programs, and present-day operating status. Accordingly, the organization is best characterized from the documented record as a national victim-advocacy nonprofit founded in California, with a mission focused on remembrance, family support, prosecution-related advocacy, parole opposition, and crime legislation.

Citizens Against Homicide was founded in California in 1994 by Jane Alexander and Jan Miller. The organization emerged from the founders’ direct experiences with homicide and the prolonged search for justice that followed. Alexander had spent thirteen years seeking the murderer of her 88-year-old aunt, an experience that later provided the basis for the book Citizen Jane. Miller’s 19-year-old daughter, Veronica, had been murdered in an unsolved 1984 case. Their experiences informed an organization designed to support families who often remain involved with a homicide case for years or decades. CAH’s activities have combined personal support, victim remembrance, and public advocacy. The organization honors homicide victims and assists relatives and friends who are seeking criminal justice. It also provides advice about the criminal-justice system, helping families understand processes that may otherwise be difficult to navigate. Its members have supported prosecutions by writing letters intended to prevent convicted murderers from receiving parole. This activity reflects CAH’s emphasis on continued advocacy after a conviction, as well as its concern with the safety of victims’ families and the wider public. The group has also supported crime legislation intended to keep citizens safe. In this respect, its role extends beyond case-specific assistance to participation in broader debates about criminal justice and public safety. CAH’s constituency is therefore both personal and civic: it represents people directly affected by homicide while seeking policy responses to violent crime. The organization expanded rapidly during its early years. By 1998, it was active in all 50 states and maintained a mailing list in the thousands. The available reference record does not provide a detailed account of subsequent leadership, funding, local chapters, major legislative victories, or current programs. Its documented history nevertheless establishes CAH as a national U.S. victim-advocacy network built around remembrance, family support, prosecution assistance, parole opposition, and crime-policy advocacy.

• 1998

  National reach reported

  [1]Citizens Against Homicideen.wikipedia.org

  The organization is reported to be active in all 50 U.S. states and to have a mailing list numbering in the thousands.

• 1994

  Citizens Against Homicide is cofounded

  [1]Citizens Against Homicideen.wikipedia.org

  Jane Alexander and Jan Miller establish the California-based nonprofit public-benefit organization following their families’ experiences with homicide and unresolved or prolonged justice efforts.

A victim-centered homicide-advocacy organization that combines support for bereaved families with public-safety and criminal-justice advocacy.

• Parole-opposition letter campaigns

  United States

  CAH members write letters opposing parole for convicted murderers, supporting the concerns of victims’ families and seeking continued public-safety protections.

  Source
• Homicide-victim family support and justice advocacy

  United States

  The organization advises families about the criminal-justice system, supports efforts to prosecute murderers, and honors people killed through homicide.

  Source

• Adopt a combined family-support and public-safety advocacy modelStrategy

  Background

  CAH was formed in response to the founders’ personal experiences with homicide, unresolved cases, and prolonged searches for justice.

  Action taken

  The organization combined assistance to homicide-victim families with prosecution support, parole opposition, victim remembrance, and advocacy for crime legislation.

  Aftermath

  By 1998, this approach had produced reported activity in all 50 states and a mailing list in the thousands.

  Source

1. 1Citizens Against Homicideen.wikipedia.org