Houston expanding crime-victim advocate program

WARNER ROBINS -- Crime victims in Houston County will get more assistance in navigating the court system thanks to a grant to fund two new victim-advocate positions.

The county commission unanimously agreed Tuesday to accept a grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to fund the full-time positions. The council administer's Georgia's Crime Victims Compensation Fund.

The annual cost of the positions is $103,200, and the grant covers about 80 percent of that. The cost to the county is $20,700, but a fourth of that can be covered by outside volunteers. The rest of the cost will be made up by eliminating a part-time victim-advocate position in the district attorney's office, so there will be no actual cost to the county.

One of the new advocates will go to the district attorney's office while the other will go to the solicitor general's office. The DA's office currently has one full-time advocate and four part-timers that are funded through add-on fines. The solicitor general has one full-time advocate.

Solicitor General Amy Smith told the commission that victim advocates are important to the process. They ensure that victims are notified of court dates, understand the process and cooperate in the prosecution. The advocates undergo special training for the job, she said.

"The victim advocate does things that I don't know how to do," Smith said.

Previously, prosecutors had to take time to do what the advocates do, she said. Now, she added, prosecutors can focus on the legal aspects of the case while the advocates deal with the victims.

Commissioner Jay Walker, an attorney who does criminal defense work, said the advocates are much needed.

"Victims are often terrified to go into court," he said. "They are scared of the perpetrators. They are scared of the court system. It's foreign to them."

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Houston expanding crime-victim advocate program ."