Victim Assistance Advocate - Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Monterey County, CA - Salinas, CA

- Entry Level

Salinas, CA

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The District Attorney's Office is responsible for attending court and conducting all local criminal prosecutions. The District Attorney is a State Constitutional Officer when prosecuting crimes defined under State Law. Additionally, the Office provides legal advice to all law enforcement agencies and provides training programs for their personnel; thus, increasing the probability of successful prosecutions. The mission of the Office is to promote justice, ensure that the rights of victims are upheld by treating them with dignity, respect and compassion, and aggressively and fairly prosecute those who violate the law. The Monterey County District Attorneys' Office is accepting applications to fill a Victim Assistance Advocate position. Under direction, the incumbent will coordinate the involvement of victims of crime through the criminal court system and coordinate support for victims of crimes.

Responsibilities

• Provides immediate field and office crisis intervention services to victims of crime by interviewing them, identifying their needs, and referring them to the appropriate community resources; provides follow-up to ensure victim's needs are being met.
• Interviews victims and gathers information to determine their eligibility for reimbursement and restitution by various federal and State programs and agencies; assists them in completing, verifying, and submitting reimbursement claims.
• Advises and provides support for victims in order to reduce their stress and anxiety by keeping them informed of the status of cases, explaining criminal justice and police procedures, and being available to respond to their questions and concerns regarding the criminal justice process.
• Prepares victims of crime for their participation in the criminal justice system by educating them on the criminal justice process and the various steps involved, escorting them to court and community resource agencies for assistance, and providing reassurance when having to face a defendant in court.
• Establishes relationships and maintains a list of community referrals, service agencies and law enforcement agencies.
• Keeps current of and interprets rules, regulations, and policy regarding state victim reimbursement, restitution programs and crisis response.
• Serves as a liaison between the victim and community resource agencies, police agencies and judicial agencies; keeps attorneys up to date on the status, reaction, emotional states and extenuating circumstances of a victim's case; works with various federal and state governmental agencies providing restitution and assistance concerning program policies, procedures, and client eligibility and crisis response.
• Keeps current of the court calendar; coordinates victim and/or witness court appearances, arranges meetings with police agents, attorneys, and community resource agencies.
• Conducts outreach, participates in community meetings and administers educational presentations on the Victim/Witness Assistance Program for community groups, schools, and law enforcement agencies; answers public inquiries regarding the program; solicits participation from volunteers.
• Attends training and educational conferences to stay current on issues, trends, and developments in the field of victim/witness assistance programs.
• Performs administrative tasks such as tracking and tallying workload statistics for the Victim/Witness Assistance Program and compiles and summarizes program information for grant applications.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Working Knowledge of the laws, procedures, and legal terminology used in the criminal justice system pertaining to victim assistance programs.
• The various community agencies, organizations and individuals who provide assistance to victims of crime.
• The principles and techniques of interviewing in order to gather factual information.
• State and federal agencies and programs that provide reimbursement and assistance to victims of crime.
• Approximately two years of clerical or paraprofessional experience within the criminal justice system.
• Coursework in a behavioral science such as psychology, sociology, or a related field.

Nice-to-haves

• Some Knowledge of standard office procedures and record keeping practices.
• Techniques used to counsel individuals under emotional stress.

Benefits

• The County of Monterey offers an excellent benefits package.