Providing Services to Victims Viewing a Trial at Multiple Locations

• NCJ Number: 212293
• Date Published: September 2006
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): OJP-2001-223F
• Agencies: OVC
• Publication Type: Handbook

Annotation

This e-publication presents a protocol for providing standardized services to victims of mass violence and terrorism during the trial, sentencing, and other court proceedings.

Abstract

Overall, the protocol focuses on offering coordinated victim services, including the viewing of the trial through closed-circuit television (CCTV) transmission of the trial proceedings, through a coalition of providers. The protocol calls for the coalition to establish local Safe Havens where victim services can be uniformly delivered. The protocol also calls for the establishment of a media plan, the development of task forces, and the recruitment and management of volunteers. Guidance is offered for building a coalition, identifying community stakeholders, and drafting a mission, goal statement, and objectives for the coalition. Advice for locating, coordinating, and managing a local Safe Haven is presented followed by a brief review of emotional support strategies for victims. In addition to the development of a coalition to guide the coordination of victim services, it is also necessary to establish several other types of task forces to address issues such as victim advocacy, mental health, spiritual needs, security, and the media. Advice is offered for developing these additional task forces and guidance is provided for recruiting, training, and working with volunteers. The rights of crime victims are reviewed and potential funding sources for providing Safe Haven assistance to victims are identified. The protocol was developed in response to the experiences of victims following the Oklahoma City bombings as well as the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York. Following the mass violence, it became clear that a coordinated service protocol was necessary to ensure the uniform delivery of victim assistance services and the coordination of multiple CCTV sites for viewing the trial. Throughout the e-publication, examples from the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombings are presented to illustrate main points. Resources