Personal Safety after a Crime – 1 hour
Once someone has been victimized, their worldview and sense of personal safety is changed forever. This class offers participants practical ways to increase personal safety after they have experienced victimization.
Understanding Your Victim Rights – 1 hour
Once a crime has been committed against you and you enter the criminal justice process, it can be overwhelming to try and understand exactly what your rights are. All victims have fundamental rights in the criminal justice process.
This class provides a foundation for understanding your rights, how victim advocates can assist with affirming those rights in the court process, and how you can participate in a system designed to also protect the rights of the accused. This class does not provide any legal advice.
The Criminal Justice System for Victims – 1 hour
After a crime has been committed and a suspect has been apprehended, victims may be thrust in to a very complex, lengthy process they are unfamiliar with, overwhelming them.
This basic class will help victims understand the criminal justice process, the order in which hearings happen, how a victim advocate can help, what to expect during a trial, and a rundown of terms that are common in the criminal justice process. This class does not provide any legal advice.
Hearings 101 – 1 hour
During the criminal justice process, a number of hearings take place, many closely tied to victim rights. It is important to understand what the goal is of each of these kinds of hearings and how victims fit in to the process.
This class will give a brief overview of each of the kinds of hearings involved in an active case and how victims can fit in to the process as a whole. This class does not provide any legal advice.
Victim Impact Statements – 1 hour
One of the most important rights victims have is to present a statement to the court at sentencing on the aftermath and trauma the crime has caused. Victim Impact Statements are meant to inform the court on how the offenders actions have adversely affected the victim, giving the court additional information needed to make a weighted decision on sentencing.
This class will assist victims in understanding how to outline the effects of the crime, organize them in to a coherent statement, and write the statement out to present to the court. This class does not provide any legal advice.
Restitution – 1 hour
Once the criminal justice process is almost complete, victims are commonly asked for a restitution request. This can be a confusing process and victim advocates can help with this.
This class will explain in detail what restitution is, what expenses qualify, how to respond to the court request, and what documentation is needed. This class does not provide any legal advice.
The Civil Legal System – 1 hour
Victims often want information on the civil legal system as they are contemplating bringing suit against the perpetrator of the crime.
This class will explain the basics of the civil legal system, how to find an attorney, and how the civil legal system differs from the criminal system.