Victims of violent crime can incur major financial and emotional losses. The Victim/Witness Assistance Division can help victims to apply for assistance from the California Victim and Government Claims Board? in Sacramento. Losses that are covered include medical and counseling services, assistance with funeral/burial expenses, relocation expenses for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, and crime-scene clean-up. The fully trained staff at the Victim/Witness Assistance program provide excellent referral services designed to help victims with their recovery. In addition, their staff offers court support for those victims called to testify in a criminal jury trial.
California has a history rich in the development of victim services, and in 1980, the first Victim/Witness Assistance Division was established in Tulare County. The division came under the direction of the Office of the District Attorney on July 1, 1996, and continues to be the major provider of victim services in Tulare County.
The program has offices in Visalia, Porterville, and Juvenile, and services the courts countywide.
If you or someone you know, has been a victim of crime, the Victim/Witness Assistance Division can help you by providing one or more of the services listed below:
• Crisis intervention
• Orientation to the criminal justice system
• Court support
• Case status information
• Property return information
• Community resource and referral counseling
• Assistance in filing for financial reimbursement for losses incurred
Friends of Tulare County (FTC) strives to assist underrepresented and disadvantaged populations of all ethnicities and cultures through donations, charitable giving, and grant funding. Donations designated for the Victim/Witness Assistance Division can help by providing for victims of crime and their specific needs when other state or grant funds are unable to assist. Donations may also support crime victim-related public education and outreach activities.
For more information about the Division, visit their website at: https://tulareda.org/victim-witness/
To donate, go here::https://friendsoftularecounty.org/english/programs/tulare-county-da-victimwitness-assistance/