LAKEPORT — The Lake County District Attorney”s Office”s Victim/Witness division reported half of its cases are domestic violence-related.
And that”s not all the division does. Director Sam Laird explained in a recent interview that as a division of the county District Attorney”s Office designed to help victims of crime through the criminal justice system, Victim/Witness cannot be crime-specific and still receive grant funding from the state
Still, he said the division sees an average of 500 domestic violence cases each year.
Laird noted that while it is common for victims of domestic abuse to return to their abuser an average of eight times before leaving for good, not one of the 500 cases he sees every year is a repeat.
That”s not to say that victims don”t come back for help on numerous occasions, Laird explained. It means that number represents 500 individual victims of domestic violence that Victim/Witness has helped.
Domestic Violence Advocate Kerri Smith prepares statistics twice a year for a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women that funds three positions within the DA”s Office in its domestic violence unit: its advocate, investigator and prosecutor. The latest statistics will go out this week, she said.
Laird said his staff encounters a lot of victims who also feel victimized by the criminal justice system as it pushes through the prosecutorial process. Once a complaint has been filed with the DA, he said, the prosecutor is obligated to pursue prosecution. As a byproduct of that necessary machinery, he said, victims of crime can often feel revictimized by that process itself, and balk Victim/Witness” involvement.
“Most (Victim/Witness) offices end it when the victim is being uncooperative. We don”t stop there,” said Laird. “We do whatever it takes to make sure that the victim gets what they need to be safe.”
A receipt of the report generated when law enforcement responds to a crime has the division”s number on it, and contains information the division needs in order to access state funding on the victim”s behalf.
Among services provided are relocation, medical and dental assistance for injuries resulting from the crime, mental health counseling and even installing home and vehicle alarm systems in cases that involve restraining orders.
California”s Victim Compensation Program (VCP) is set up for the purpose of helping victims of violent crime and their families deal with the emotional, physical and financial aftermath of a crime. Its benefits are administered through the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board.
Although a criminal report is the primary way a crime victim can get help, it is not the only way. Laird said his office applies for state funding for a victim without a criminal report, and sometimes they qualify.
“We”ve had a strong commitment from all of the elected DAs from the inception of the program that the victim comes first,” said Laird.
Lake County was among the first of California”s counties to institute a Victim/Witness program in the mid-1980s. Today, noted Laird, California”s statewide victim and witness protection program is a model for other states” programs.
Founder Mike Blakey set up Lake County”s Victim/Witness program approximately 20 years ago for the purpose of filling in the gap for victims and witnesses of crime.
“It”s called the criminal justice system for a reason,” said Laird. He said the role of his division is to safeguard the victim”s rights in a prosecutorial process that is focused on criminals and criminal”s rights.
“It”s going to happen,” Laird said of the ongoing problem of domestic violence in society in general. While acknowledging preventative measures that start with breaking the cycle of violence by removing oneself from a violent situation, he compared the likelihood of completely preventing it to the likelihood??of completely preventing traffic accidents. “We want to be there when it does happen to try and make it as smooth as possible,” said Laird.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
