The Victim Advocate Program
Victoria Paulina Lugo
Charleston Southern University
Abstract
This paper will be an overview of the Victim Advocate Programs in the United States of America. The main objectives will aim to discuss the overall, general job of the Victim Advocate Program, its purpose and its importance, and the role it plays in both the military and at the local level. It will aim to thoroughly explain the goals, importance, and intentions of those who work within the program, as well as the requirements to become certified as someone who works for any Victim Advocate program at a federal, state, or local level. The paper will give the reader a full understanding of the program and how it operates and how it is organized to help
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Victims can be direct or indirect, meaning that they could be directly impacted by the crime or they could be the family member or close friend of the direct victim of the crime. The role of Victim Advocates is to be a place of support for victims and help alleviate the mental, physical, and emotional stress that follows a traumatic event in the victim’s life. Advocates aim to inform and educate the victims about their rights and programs, such as counseling and organizations, to help deal with the stress of the crime ("What is a victim advocate," n.d.). Advocates are the extra support system that victims need in order to try to continue life normally and get all of their …show more content…
At the local level, many ways that advocates are determined is based on the jurisdiction because it is common that at the local level that advocacy programs go through the court system. In South Carolina, the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office runs a program for Charleston and Berkley County. This program aims to aid in handling victims and the crimes they have gone through ("Victim & witness programs: Ninth judicial circuit office of the solicitor," n.d.). Whereas the Army dealt with a softer approach in aiding victims, this program’s main objective is to help the victim while going through the criminal justice system in courts. They aim to educate them in the process of court and stand by them to make sure they are treated justly with a familiarity and understanding of their rights ("Victim & witness programs: Ninth judicial circuit office of the solicitor," n.d.). The program is made to ease tensions and to create a smoother judicial process since the trial period is usually