Prosecuting

criminals isn't the only service offered to crime victims at the local

district attorney's office.

The Victim

Witness Assistance program at the Fayette County district attorney's office

assists victims in a variety of ways that have netted the first-ever prosecutor's

Eagle Award by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Many similar

programs stick to the basics keeping victims informed of the case's progress

in the court system. But throughout the Griffin Judicial Circuit, the

local program goes the extra mile.

In some cases,

victim advocates respond to the crime scene to provide immediate assistance,

such as finding a place for a family to stay the night and insuring appropriate

medical attention is sought for victims who otherwise couldn't afford

it.

In those first

meetings, the victim often provides information that is passed on to law

enforcement to help in the investigation of the case, said Michelle Ivey,

director of the program.

"A lot

of times they tell us about things they don't think to tell the investigators,"

Ivey said.

Contact with

crime victims is maintained throughout and beyond the outcome of the criminal

case, Ivey said. For instance, she said, a Fayette woman reported that

she kept seeing her attacker around town even though he was sent to prison.

A victim's

advocate contacted the prison the offender was sent to and the warden

had an employee physically check to make sure the offender was still incarcerated,

Ivey said.

"It let

her know so she could sleep that night," she added.

District Attorney

Bill McBroom said the program has also been used to fly in the relatives

of a murder victim who lived out-of-state so they could watch the court

proceedings here in Fayette.

He was quick

to add that the program can't meet the wishes of some victims.

"Some

of them would have you hang them up by the courthouse square," Ivey

said.

The program

has paid for victims to attend counseling sessions; to have locks changed

on their home so violent relatives can't get back in; and even for a new

set of sheets for a rape victim whose only bed sheets were taken into

evidence to help prosecute the offender.

The funds have

also been used to buy new eyeglasses for one victim who was shot in the

head several times and survived. Her spectacles were broken in the attack,

McBroom said.

The program

also picks up witnesses who don't have transportation so they can testify

in court. Also, office employees babysit the children of witnesses who

can't afford to pay for child care, McBroom said.

The program

allows the attorneys to concentrate more on their work while the victim

advocates can focus on keeping the victims up to date, he added.

Even after

the court case is over, the advocates stay in touch with victims, letting

them know when the offender is released from prison, Ivey said.

In one case,

the advocates helped change a Georgia law to protect others from being

victimized in the future, McBroom recalled. In 1999, state Rep. Kathy

Cox of Fayette County arranged for a local crime victim to testify before

a house subcommittee to create a penalty for adults who make obscene telephone

calls to children. Investigators who worked the case and other officials

involved also testified during the hearing, McBroom said.

The law, which

became effective July 1, 2000, forbids such offenders from simply paying

a fine. If the judge doesn't hand down a probation sentence, the offender

must be incarcerated. The first offense is considered a misdemeanor and

further offenses are labeled felonies.

Also, funds

from the program are used to train local police officers on techniques

such as investigating domestic violence and identity fraud cases, McBroom

added.

In the recent

identity fraud seminar, officers were taught how to help victims restore

their credit, he said.

Since the victim

witness assistance program is funded with a federal grant and through

local court fines, it doesn't cost local taxpayers, McBroom added. The

state of Georgia created the victim witness program but doesn't fund it,

leaving many programs staffed largely by volunteers.

Although McBroom

was the one presented the award recognizing the victim witness program,

he insists his staff deserves all the credit. Ivey is one of three full-time

victim advocates, including Consuella Brown and Karen Raines. Two part-time

advocates also help out from time to time, McBroom said.

Although the

award is appreciated, McBroom said he felt really proud when a fellow

district attorney met with him after the ceremony and asked about how

to implement some of the program's characteristics.

"I really

thought that was a wonderful compliment," he said.

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