Victim Advocates - Assistance Please (salary, attorney, suspect, death)

[sugarmaple]

For those who may have had dealings with victim advocates and for those who may have clear opinions about their worth, value and significance, I would like some feedback as well as suggestions as to what you believe should be 'standard' in the role of a victim advocate for a victim. I know there are mixed feelings about victims rights', offenders' rights, whether having a victim advocate is more of a political position, if it is important to have one helping a victim/advocate, if they really do help, etc. 'There is even controversy whether a victim advocate should be housed in a State's Attorney's office (or Attorney General's office ) or rather be an 'ombudsperson); controversy continues in that if a victim advocate is supposed to be available and helpful to the victim/survivor BUT takes orders from the state's attorney/AG, etc., then that can mitigate or negate their roles...sort of 'answering to two masters'.

I have been asked to work with someone in helping to draft what could perhaps become 'standards' for lack of any other term for victim advocates to follow; it is a big project and perhaps one of those 'pie in the sky' kinda things, trying to help make something as close to perfect in a very unperfect judicial system (well relatively unperfect) judicial system.

If anyone is uncomfortable sharing thoughts publically, they are more than welcome to email me privately as well.

If anyone has had to go through the 'system' as a victim/survivor of a crime, how well, disheartening and/or troublesome was it and did you have an advocate who fought for you or one that you thought was lacking in effort and knowledge.

And lastly, if there could be 6 attributes that you could describe an advocate, what would they be and if there could be 6 issues that were negative, unpleasant or simply unacceptable that could be improved, what would they be?

Thanks for your consideration and I look forward to reading your responses.

[sugarmaple]

I am reposting this....I do need assistance if anyone would be kind enough to help!
Thanks!

[irspow]

I think you are asking for advice from someone with pretty specific knowledge in a particular area. I think most rational people would avoid your request like the plague unless they had a very educated and specific understanding of your singular field. To be honest, I have very little knowledge of these advocates and their role in the judiciary system, and I would suspect that there is a very limited group of people who could respond intelligently to such a narrow field. So do not feel ignored by the lack of response from the forum. This "cold shoulder" is far better than getting a million responses from people that have no idea of what they are talking about.

Perhaps if you explained what you believe the function and role of the advocate should be and any obstacles to them carrying out their duties and responsibilities to the forum, others could chime in with any ideas that they thought would help. However, if you are looking for "experts" in the field, well.....*crickets*.

[sugarmaple]

Thanks, I appreciate it and you may be right....I will resubmit accordingly...enjoy your day!

[Miborn]

Your post is suspicious to me.
It makes me think you could be either a college student who wants info set before them with little work or you are a abuser that is trying to figure out how the system works?
If you are true in your intent than the advocate groups are the best to talk to.

[sugarmaple]

Hi, I am not a college student at all, although I wish I were back in college. I am a victim/survivor of crime and have been through the system, and sadly, it did not work for me, as it does not always work for many victim/survivors. As a result of my experiences, I have now become actively involved in advocacy, activism and leadership, of sorts, within this field. I must admit that I did not even think that this posting could appear 'suspicious' at all...I was and am looking to those who have been in situations where the system/advocates could have done better or those who had advocates were super and how to encourage those who are not equal to the task, to do better.

Clearly, logic dictates to go directly to advocate groups and victim advocates for their input however, the best input, I believe, is the experiences that victim/survivors have endured.

For example, I spoke with a victim/survivor of crime in my county; she had been out taking a walk with her two little children when she got jumped, in front of the children, beaten and raped, in front of her children. All she really cared about at that moment was not nothing happen to her kids, and fortunately, nothing did; although, of course, the trauma of witnessing their mom be attacked and beaten by a stranger. She went to the hospital, went to the victim advocate in her county who, instead of making sound suggestions and advising her of assistance available to her...did ask her if she really wanted to go forward pursuing charges, she probably would not like having to go through the system and she could very well be upset and frustrated if the offender did not get a sentence that she believed he would deserve.

This is the kind of thing I am talking about...it is important, actually I believe it to be vital that when someone has been a victim to a crime, especially a violent crime, that their needs must be met; that there needs to be support and encouragement and understanding given to that victim by that advocate and there needs to be consistency in that regard.

Further, a victim advocate should never promise things that can not be given to that victim; that advocate needs to understand and respect the victim's need to talk about what happened, they are scared to death and vulnerable...they need to know what can be done and cannot be done and what could possibly be done to help. When a person is going through this they are looking to the advocate for guidance...it is an incredibly horrible experience to be on that end of the rope and perhaps until someone has had to go through this process, with no dispect intended, they cannot understand AND one thing I/we want to be able to prepare are mechanisms/credentials, for lack of any other term that are across the board so no victim/survivor falls through any crack nor feels more frustrated and hurt than they need to be.

[jtur88]

Well, I believe that the innocent children and sometimes spouses of people who are sent to prison for non-violent crimes are victims, too, but who advocates for them?

[sugarmaple]

There is a victim advocate network within the Department of corrections which, I know does work with partners of those sent to prison, although, I believe, the majority of the time those partners have been victims, especially of domestic violence; there are GAL programs (Guardians) for children and their welfare. Believe me, if I had a magic wand I would do lots of things, and I keep looking for that wand, however, I also believe we all have a responsibility, in some way, to help protect victims.

I have participated in many leadership forums and even legislative forums and the like and I have said in the past I too was one of those people who would read an article about a case, or an abuse or similar and say, that is outrageous, something needs to be done, or that is unfair and unjust, someone must do something and then I would, like many others, turn the page and keep reading another article.

However, when I became a victim, I can assure you everything changed...and I also learned that one has choices about this too...that being, staying in a victim role or moving into the 'survivor' role and getting their feet wet about making some kind of changes, whether it be education-wise, writing, etc. I have participated in victim impact panels and they are both difficult and amazing because it can be cathartic and interesting when watching the faces of the audience.

For myself, I have no idea what that incident was, that moment when I went from victim to survivor; perhaps one of those moments was because the advocate did not do her job and if it had not been for friends, family and other law enforcement officers, I would still be in a cloud of amazement, disappointment, anger and a whole lot of fear.

I am sure there are many others who read these postings and are victim/survivors of crime....and I do hope some come forward and toss out their thoughts and suggestions...and yes jtur88, a child who simply witnesses a crime, well they become victims too.

And just to reiterate once again, I am not a college student and sure as heck, not an abuser.

[grammy164]

I've had experience with victim's advocates.
My sister was murdered in WV. I lived in OH and the rest of my family lived in other states. We had no idea what to do or where to turn. No one in WV told us about a victim's advocate. As we struggled to get information and get things that may seem so simple taken care of, we became very frustrated. Someone gave my daughter the name of the victim's advocate in my county in OH. I was so grateful. She listened to me, made a few phone calls for us, kept in touch and offered any help she could. She did contact the victim's advocate in WV, but, at least this advocate, didn't really contact us until days before the trial. She was really no help.
My advocate in OH also worked hard to get various legislation passed in our county and our state to better protect and take care of victims.
You can not imagine what it's like to suddenly be thrown in such a situation. It seems almost impossible to try to deal with everything and figure out the system when you're also going through such terrible grief. I will always be grateful for my daughter's friend and the valuable information she gave us that day.

[sugarmaple]

Thank you for your response and sharing this information with me. I strongly believe that the law enforcement agency you initially work with, whether a town/city police department, sheriff or state police officer should immediately advise a victim that there is a victim advocate available. I also believe it is imperative that the victim advocate explain the entire process; it is not (which I had certainly believed for a long time), like Law and Order. I think it is imperative for a victim advocate to listen; to clearly find out what a family/victim needs and to start the ball rolling by making those calls. You are absolutely right, a victim is going through enough shock and terror to have to sit down and make telephone calls to different agencies. Let that be the advocates job; just like the advocate should be in a courtroom, by your side, to go through this as well.

What I do not think should happen is that, and it is the case in many states, that the victim advocate's position is funded by a Center for Victim Services (most states have such a center where there is compensation available as well as other remedies), and yet the victim advocate gets their direction from the State's ATtorney, thus, the victim advocate can say: You can have this, you can have that, I will help you with this, the case will be...." and then the STate's Attorney, at his discretion can say to the advocate, nope, not trying the case, or nope, I am going to plea this out, etc. and thus what was promised or assured to you, does not happen. An advocate can not report to two masters, the victim being one (with salary from a crime victim service agency) and the State's Attorney. Most people believe that the State's attorney (prosectutor) is there for you, against the offender, to 'right the wrong that was done to you' that they speak for the victim, well, they do not. They represent the State..and the victim is not the State. The victim is generally a 'witness' to the case...

Many states, including Vermont, are campaigning for a Victim Rights Bill, which, frankly, I do not see happening in the near future.

In the Department of Corrections, when an inmate is going to be released, the victim advocates within the prison system, generall contact the victim/victims family to arrange a 'wraparound' meeting, to give the victim/family an update of what is going on, about the release of the inmate, asks, sometimes, is there something they can do to help them during the process, however, once the inmate is out of the DOC system, that's it. There is no advocate; there is no support for those families.

People, in general, do not understand that just because a crime may be over, that an offender is punished, that life goes on as easily as before. It doesn't nor can it because that victim/survivor is never the same person. That does not mean they can't function, it means they are different.

One of the most significant contributions a victim advocate can, should, and must give to victims is their support, their guidance, and to be honest with them. That too does not always happen.

If an advocate does not measure up consistently and effectively with their clients, then they are not doing their job; there are some advocates that are amazingly incredible and there are others, who simply do not get it and thus, should not be in that position.