
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 13, 1995                   TAG: 9503140021
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GUIDING VICTIMS THROUGH THE MAZE

FINDING YOURSELF drawn into the legal system can be an intimidating, even frightening, experience for a crime victim or witness. Even for those somewhat familiar with legalese and trial procedures (the result, perhaps, of an O.J. overdose), going to court can be as stressful as going to the hospital for surgery.

Maybe more so. Unlike an operating room, it can't be presumed that everyone in the courtroom is there to help you. Some are there to help the perpetrator of a crime, possibly by questioning the motivations and credibility of victims and witnesses. And the waits and delays can be killers in themselves.

Aware that the courthouse isn't very user-friendly, many localities in Virginia - Roanoke city and Roanoke County among them - have set up support systems for victims and witnesses. Usually based in commonwealth's attorneys' offices, specially trained staff and volunteers are available to contact victims and witnesses, take their hands and walk them through what can be a discomforting time in their lives.

Victims - especially victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse - may, for instance, need counseling, and may be unsure where to turn in the community to find it. Before or after the trial, victims may be entitled to assistance with medical bills or compensation for property losses, but not know how to apply for it. They may need someone to intercede with an employer, to make sure they don't lose pay or benefits because of time lost from work.

Some may need transportation to and from the courthouse. Some may need a lawyer - and be unaware of services such as Legal Aid. Some may be hearing-impaired or not speak English, and thus require an interpreter. Almost everyone needs interpretation into plain English of much of the obscure speaking-in-tongues that is lawyerly repartee.

In sum, most victims and witnesses need help understanding the intricacies of, and getting through, the litigious labyrinth. This is especially true of children who must testify. Some victim-witness advocates have encountered youngsters who were terrified that an appearance before a judge could land them in jail.

Victim-witness advocacy efforts, funded in large part by grants from the state's Department of Criminal Justice or other organizations, have been established in about 50 of Virginia's 135 cities and counties. Many other jurisdictions should provide this service, and more will be able to do so as the result of legislation approved by the 1995 General Assembly.

The legislation, recommended by Attorney General James Gilmore, will impose a $3 assessment on all convicted offenders, with the funds earmarked for state grants to expand the victim-witness advocacy network.

Gilmore, who also successfully sponsored a proposed constitutional amendment to strengthen victims' rights (it will have to be passed again by the '96 legislature before it's submitted to voters for approval) is right: Support services for victims and witnesses are increasingly important everywhere, as crime increasingly invades all localities. Criminals have been receiving a lot of attention these days; their victims deserve more than they've been getting.

by CNB