Advocates Mark Crime Victims' Rights Week With Training Sessions

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CANTON, GA -- In honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, thousands of advocates and victims across the country will participate in rallies, candlelight vigils, forums, and other public awareness activities that highlight this year’s theme, “Serving Victims. Building Trust. Restoring Hope.”

Many victims rights advocates in Cherokee County will also commemorate the week, designated for April 10-16.

At the local level, Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney Shannon Wallace expressed the importance of this week for her office.

"First and foremost, as prosecutors, we seek justice on behalf of victims," she said. "We speak for those who cannot speak and enforce laws on behalf of the powerless and weak. It is my hope that with our partners in law enforcement, we will continue to improve the investigation and prosecution of the challenging and extremely violent cases we see on the rise in Cherokee County.”

According to Lisa Williams, the director of the Victim Witness Program for the District Attorney’s Office, training will be a major focus for the office in 2016. Staff members will conduct several training sessions with local law enforcement on crimes involving strangulation, particularly as they pertain to cases of family violence.

Officers also will be provided with information regarding services and referrals available at the local Cherokee Family Violence Center.

The District Attorney’s Office will also host a Prosecuting At-Risk Adult Abuse class, which will focus attention on an especially vulnerable population, senior citizens. Multi-disciplinary teams from Cherokee County and around the state will attend this training to learn how to best address the needs of victims of and witnesses in elder abuse and white collar cases.

National Victims’ Rights Week honors and celebrates the achievements of the past thirty years in securing rights, protections and services for victims. The bipartisan Victims of Crime Act passed by Congress in 1984, creating a national fund to ease victims’ suffering.

Financed by fines and penalties paid by offenders, the Crime Victims Fund supports services for victims of all types of crime. Since 1993, the local Office of the District Attorney Victim Witness Assistance Program has assisted victims of crime by providing emotional support and guidance during their journey through the criminal justice system.

Services provided to victims include notification of case status, education about the criminal justice system, support during criminal proceedings and assistance in filing for victim related compensation.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of crime and wish to report it, contact the Office of the District Attorney Victim Witness Assistance Program at 770-479-1488 for help.

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