Serving Victims Through the System

Issa co-host episode! Join us as we chat with our friends over at Victim, Meet Advocate, hosted by Gloucester County Victim Witness Assistance Program. We really wanted to talk a bit about some similarities and differences between our programs, plus a few other things! So, grab your favorite snack and sit back for our chat.

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Since June is PTSD Awareness Month, let's talk about testifying on the witness stand. As advocates, it's important we continue to remind fellow criminal justice professionals how having a trauma-informed court system starts with how we treat those testifying. Join us as we talk about ways that we can prevent re-traumatization of victims and witnesses as they testify in a criminal trial.

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May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Awareness Month! After doing research for our most recent blog, we realized that the Hells Canyon Massacre would be a great case to cover that highlights how Asian Americans have faced discrimination in the criminal justice system. 

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Part 2 of our National Crime Victims' Rights Week series is here! Today, we're focusing on Robert & Charlotte Hullinger, founders of Parents of Murdered Children (PMOC). Take a list to some information about their story and influence on how we serve homicide survivors! 

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Before we can get into the players of the movement, let's talk about the Crime Victims' Rights Movement itself! This short episode will detail some specific highlights regarding the movement since the 1960s. 

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February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month! This month, we're using Morgan McCaffrey's case to provide a backdrop in understanding Teen DV. Morgan was murdered by her ex-boyfriend (allegedly - he provided a full confession, though) on Monday, July 27, 2020 right outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This case is on-going, but we used the public information available as well as some credible statistical resources to provide information on how this case is an example of the dangers of Teen DV. 

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January is National Stalking Awareness Month! 

From 1996 - 1999, Randi Barber experienced stalking. In fact, on January 19, 1999, her case became the first where an individual was charged in California for cyberstalking. In this episode, we take a look at the case and expand on the topic of stalking, discussing the early signs of stalking and how service providers can effectively serve stalking victims. 

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In this episode, we chat with Ebony Velazquez, Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator! We discuss human trafficking, how advocates can utilize their local task force to combat modern day slavery and local resources advocates and the general public can access to report tips or refer victims.

In our first episode, we talk about mental health, both in regards to victims and professionals who work with victims of crime, with Kim DiJoseph, a trauma field expert, who currently conducts shadow work with clients and also serves as the Project & Training Coordinator for the Virginia Victim Assistance Network (VVAN) + an adjunct professor at VCU. Kim's combination of personal & professional experience provides her with a unique perspective that we are excited to share during Mental Health Awareness Month!