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Victim Advocates
The responsibilities of victim advocates include:
- Prepare and predict for the victim the unfolding chain of events in the criminal justice system
- Providing an opportunity for the victim to ventilate feelings and provide for the validation of those feelings
- Provide information and referrals
- Address safety and security issues
- Fulfill duties required by the Victim Rights Amendment.
- Criminal justice support and advocacy
Prepare and predict: Prepare and predict for the victim the unfolding chain of events in the criminal justice system. Victim service professionals provide the victim with a sense of what will happen next, a "roadmap" of what will unfold. The victim determines how much information is given. Victim services also attempt to help the victim understand typical emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioral reactions to trauma. Providing the opportunity for victims to learn more about the whole experience of "victimization" allows them to take a greater role in managing their own healing.
Ventilate and validate: Victim advocates support and encourage the victim as the victim ventilates and then the provider validates the experience. Acknowledging the victim’s words and feelings is a way to confirm that the reactions are normal responses to an abnormal situation. The victims feelings of guilt ( for surviving for example) and self-blame can be validated as normal reactions, while not being confirmed as reality.
Provide information and referrals: The victim advocate will offer information regarding the criminal justice process, crime victim compensation, other agency victim service agencies, community mental health agencies, school counselors, EAP, private therapists, Legal Aid, and other resources.
Crime Victim Compensation Policies and Procedures
Address safety and security issues: Victim advocates must take the victim feelings of safety (or lack of safety) seriously. Providers assess the victim’s feelings of safety at the moment and validate the victim’s fears even if they do not appear rational and the professional assists in safety planning.
Fulfill duties required by the Victim Rights Amendment: Currently, thirty-two states have Victims Rights Amendments. The victim service professional must be familiar with the statutes of their own state and their responsibilities as prescribed by those statues.
Offer Support and Advocacy: Criminal justice support and advocacy by acting as a liaison between the victim and the deputy assigned to the case, e.g., accompanying the victim to interviews and court proceedings. Victim service professionals also often advocate on behalf of the victim to assure their rights are being upheld. |
