Case Status: provide victims with information on any significant developments in the investigation and adjudication of the cases in which they are involved. Significant developments include the arrest of a suspect, a defendant choosing to enter a guilty plea, etc. This information may be relayed through a personal letter specifically about that case or by telephone or email contact.
 

Case Dispositions: provide victims with the final dispositions of their cases within 30 working days of disposition. This includes dispositions of habeas corpus appeals.
 

Advance Notification: provide victims with advance notification of judicial proceedings relating to their cases and inform them of any changes in court dates. This information may be relayed through a personal letter or telephone contact.

Assist victims in the preparation of victim impact statements or coordinate this service with the probation and parole office. Staff may offer dictation service to illiterate victims, or translation service to non-English speaking victims. This also includes preparing victims to give oral statements.

Assist businesses in seeking and securing restitution. As appropriate, victim/witness program staff are required to assist victims in seeking and securing restitution by providing information about local pro- cedures and referrals to appropriate personnel. These responsibilities are in accordance with §19.2-11.01 A2c which requires that victims “…be advised that restitution is available for damages or loss resulting from an offense and shall be assisted in seeking restitution in accordance with §§ 19.2-305, 19.2-305.1 …”

Nothing in these statutes places a responsibility on victim/witness program staff to collect restitution. To the extent possible, program staff are encouraged to limit regular restitution services to the provision of information about local procedures and referrals to appropriate personnel. Compliance with the Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act requires that programs address a broad range of service objectives. Consequently, the allocation of staff time and resources cannot be unreasonably focused on a few services, such as restitution, to the detriment of other services.

1. Explanation: help businesses determine the specific amounts of restitution owed in their particular cases.
    
2. Monitoring: monitor the payments of court-ordered restitution. “Monitoring” restitution is the service of checking with third parties or the businesses themselves to ensure that restitution payments are being made in a timely fashion.
    
3. Collection: collect and forward restitution payments.
    
4. Enforcement: request, or assist the victim in requesting, a show cause summons when defendants are delinquent in their payments.

Provide and assist victims with obtaining protective orders (Emergency, Preliminary, and Permanent). This would include victims of domestic violence, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, elder abuse, stalking, sexual assault, assault and harassment.

Note: Under §16.1-253.2(d) victims have the right to a new protective order not exceeding two years upon the conviction of Violation of Protective Order.

A civil legal attorney provides assistance in obtaining protection or restraining order and family law issues (e.g., custody, filing for temporary restraining orders, injunctions, visitation, or support). This can include an advocate arranging services with a civil legal attorney, Legal Aid, and or pro bono assistance programs for civil services. Does not include criminal prosecution or the employment of attorneys for such nonemergency purposes as custody disputes and civil suits.

Other protection services include advising victims where they may file a warrant for criminal offenses, sitting in a courtroom so as to obstruct the defendant’s view of the victim, etc. Also, assisting victims in

obtaining available protection options (i.e., no contact orders or instructions, stop mail, and blocked phone calls), from the appropriate authorities when harm or threats of harm arise from the victims’ cooperation with law enforcement or prosecution efforts. Appropriate authorities may include law enforcement, state police, jail or prison staff, court service units, general district courts, magistrates, and Commonwealth’s attorneys. Also, includes utilizing the Lethality Assessment Program or lethality assessment tools to assess danger. Providing advocacy services to victims in emergency situations only; not routine.

An attorney providing assistance with special visas, continued presence application, and other immigration relief. This includes an advocate arranging services with immigration attorneys and or advocacy programs that specialize in immigration services.

Provide advocacy/accompaniment with the prosecuting attorney(s). Provide descriptive or guided tours of the courtroom in which the victim’s case will be heard. Examples of descriptive tours are Kids Court, working through the “Going To Court” coloring book with a child victim, or providing a detailed description of the layout of the courtroom (i.e., courtroom tours, court waiting rooms, and post disposition conferences with prosecuting attorney(s).

List any other services provided to victims by your grant program that does not fit in an above category. Please keep the number of "Other” to a minimum. It is required that you be able to identify the service listed in “Other”.