the.com/victim advocacy
the job of making sure the person who got hurt isn't the last one to know what's happening next.
means support and guidance for crime victims navigating police, courts, and recovery, usually free and usually underfunded.
from emerged from 1970s feminist and civil-rights movements that noticed the justice system prosecuted crimes but ignored the humans they happened to, leading to the first victim assistance programs and eventually the 1984 Victims of Crime Act.
funded bycriminal fines, not taxes, via crime victims fund
not lawyersadvocates give support, not legal advice
confidentiality variesprotections differ wildly state to state
burnout rateamong highest of any helping profession
for instance
rainn hotline — answers a sexual assault call every 9 minutes in the us
court appointed advocates — casa volunteers represent over 250,000 abused kids yearly
victim impact statements — legal tool letting victims speak directly before sentencing since 1970s