Victim/Witness Assistance Program
| Opportunity Type: | Ongoing Volunteer Opportunity |
| Department: | District Attorney |
| Category: | Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Human Services and Public Health |
| Time Commitment & Minimum Age: | Must be 21 years old to apply. 8 hours/week during business hours for one year after training, preferably longer. |
| Location: | Boulder Justice Center, DA’s Office |
| Program Summary: | The Victim/Witness program ensures that victims of crime are treated with fairness, respect and dignity, by providing comprehensive assistance and services to them throughout the criminal justice process. This team works to lessen the impact of crime on victims and to support the prosecution in successfully seeking justice. |
| Duties and Responsibilities: | Work with staff victim advocates in the DA’s office to assist crime victims in understanding and navigating the criminal justice system. Duties include: active listening, providing information to victims and witnesses on the criminal justice process and the status of their cases; providing emotional support resources and advocacy to victims and witnesses; referral of resources available in community agencies; updating computer database records and files. |
| Qualifications and Requirements: | Mature reliable community volunteers desired. Retirees have been very successful in this role. Will consider upper level mature college students 21 years and older from Women & Gender Studies, counseling, therapy, criminal justice, law and social studies fields. Must have excellent listening and communication skills, maturity, ability to work 8 hours per week during regular Monday – Friday business hours, and have patience and good boundaries. Prefer prior work/volunteer experience in a counseling, legal or social work/helping profession. Professional dress and demeanor required. |
| Training Dates and Information: | A 40 hour pre-service training is required. This will occur in the fall of 2018 over several Tuesdays and Thursdays within a two to three-week period, based on volunteer and staff availability. Ongoing training and learning is expected. |
| Contact: | Mary Eldred – jsvp@bouldercounty.org or call 303.441.3718. |
| Application Process: | Please contact Mary Eldred at jsvp@bouldercounty.org or call 303-441-3718 for more information and to request an application form. A background check and fingerprinting are required. |