James City County is looking for volunteers for the Victim Witness Assistance Program at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
The program helps victims and witnesses of crimes in a number of ways, said Tammy Morman, program director.
Services include crisis counseling, getting back property that is being held as evidence, filing for restitution with the courts and escorting individuals to court hearings. It can also help victims and witness file a Virginia Victims Fund application which helps qualified individuals pay for expenses in relation to a crime.
Finally, the program also holds meetings with the prosecutor and helps prepare individuals for trial.
Recently, the county posted on Facebook asking for volunteers for the program. Morman said there have always been volunteers who work with the program as a requirement of the Victims of Crime Act.
According to Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, the Victims of Crime Act was passed in 1984 to help with the costs of surviving a crime, such as medical bills, counseling services and lost wages. The funds for those programs are replenished through fines levied on convicted criminals.
While there are certain aspects of the program that require discretion, most volunteers will be working with typing and sending letters, entering client data, handling phone calls and courtroom support, according to the post.
Volunteers have to undergo the same hiring process as employees, including interviews and background checks, Morman said.
“Training is very individualized since it depends upon what education, experience and skills they bring with them, and what we will be asking them to do,” she said.
Typically training means shadowing an advocate, which entails going to court and listening to the advocates make phone calls. Volunteers also are taught about the court system and how protective order hearings function, since these are the most common type of hearings a volunteer will be attending.
Currently the program only has two volunteers but Morman said the application process can be competitive depending on what time the department is searching. Typically the program looks for volunteers who are either pursuing, or have a degree in, social work, psychology, criminal justice, paralegal or human services.
“The job gives volunteers the experience of working with people involved in the justice system as well as working with other agencies that we have contact with on a daily basis, such as police officers, counselors, defense attorneys, social workers, jail staff, and probation officers,” she said. “It provides first hand knowledge about how the Criminal Justice System and its processes work.”
Morman said that type of volunteer position can help prepare individuals for future professions such as a victim’s advocate, a probation officer, a social worker or just for someone interested in criminal justice.
“Primarily we are looking for people with an interest in helping people,” she said. “We are looking for people interested in learning and providing empathy and compassion to those they come in contact with in the system.”
For more information, visit James City County online.