LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week, a nationwide observance is highlighting the work of state and local agencies that assist crime victims with navigating the legal system and putting their lives back together.
The California Victim Compensation Program is honoring crime victims in conjunction with National Crime Victims' Rights Week, observed from April 10 to 16.
National Crime Victims' Rights Week recognizes crime victims, survivors, supporters and advocates throughout the United States. The theme for this year is “Serving Victims, Building Trust, Restoring Hope.” More information can be found at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw .
Locally, the Board of Supervisors on April 5 presented a proclamation to the Lake County District Attorney's Office Victim-Witness Division designating April 10 to 16 as National Crime Victims' Rights Week in Lake County.
California Victim Compensation Program Executive Officer Julie Nauman said the annual observance provides an opportunity to share with the public benefits that her agency offers and the strides California has made to protect victims' right.
“California is a national role model in victim services and proud to be on the forefront with new legislation to better serve those in need,” Nauman said.
She told Lake County News that the purpose of the program is to help victims of violent crimes cover expenses – everything from physical and mental health care, to burial, relocation, home security systems, and supplemental income for those unable to work due to emotional or physical injuries.
Nauman said the California Victim Compensation Program can be accessed directly or at the local level, through district attorney's offices.
She said California's program was the first of its kind in the nation, and since then other states have founded similar programs.
California's program, however, continues to be the largest, serving the most people. “We really serve as a model for other states' programs,” Nauman said.
“California took an early lead in response to social changes,” said Nauman. “It's something California can be proud of and it's something we have sustained and grown very effectively over the years.”
Nauman said the program started at “a time when attitudes were changing toward victims.”
In 1984, the program was assisted with the passage of the federal Victims of Crime Act, which she said provided more funding through the federal government.
One key fact she likes to share is that the program is not funded by taxes. Rather, Nauman said it's funded by money from the US Department of Justice and from the state of California.
Those state and federal funds, Nauman explained, come from fines and restitution collected from people convicted of committing crimes.
Nauman said the California Victim Compensation Program pays out around $60 million annually to victims across the state. That total has ranged lower in years and higher – as high as $100 million several years ago – in others.
In Lake County, 132 applications were made in calendar year 2015, 96 percent of which were approved for funding, for a total of $141,629, Nauman said.
The most represented crimes among those Lake County applications were assault and child abuse. A full rundown of the Lake County applications by type and payment amount can be seen at the end of the article.
Nauman said the impact of the Affordable Care Act is being felt in the program, as many more people now have medical insurance to help cover their needs.
In other ways, “We have made some changes to our program to meet the needs of victims as we better understand them with the passage of time,” she said.
She said the program has done a tremendous amount of research funded through the Department of Justice to better understand victimization. Changes approved by the Legislature last year helped keep the program current.
“We always want to do better,” and to understand potential barriers that prevent people from participating, she said. “That's a big change.”
Among program updates are translating all application materials into the state's 13 most common languages, she said.
The program also has sought to make changes to how sexual assault and domestic violence cases are handled, understanding that police reports are not always made immediately, if at all, Nauman explained.
Nauman said officials have worked hard to understand the emotional response and the reluctance to lay blame by such victims, who fear not having a place to go back to after reporting the crime.
In such cases, she said they can overlook the fact that a police report hasn't been filed in order to prevent bureaucratic issues from getting in the way of getting victims assistance.
Nauman also emphasized that people do not have to wait for the conviction of the person who victimized them in order to receive help.
“The underpinning of this is that the help is not directly tied for the outcome for the offender,” she said.
If the offender is convicted, many times the court will require the offender to pay restitution directly to the victim, she said.
In addition, courts also can order offenders to pay the state program back. However, she said victims don't have to wait for the offender to pay. “We're there to get the bill paid.”
This year, AB 2160, sponsored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, proposes to modernize statutes governing the California Victim Compensation Program by expanding certain benefits.
Specifically, it would compensate victims for income loss when it is necessary for them to miss work due to medical and mental health appointments for injuries related to the crime and attending meetings that are crime-related (such as court proceedings and meeting with the district attorney's office); allow reimbursement for transportation and child care expenses that are necessary in order for a victim to attend legal, medical, mental health counseling or other crime-related appointments; increase the reimbursement limits for crime scene clean up and enhanced residential security from $1,000 to $2,000; increase the benefit limit for relocation expenses from $2,000 to $4,500; and raise the benefit cap from $63,000 to $70,000.
The issue of elder abuse also is the focus of some current legislation, including AB 1754, which would establish a pilot program in San Diego County for elder or dependent adult abuse crimes, Nauman said. The bill calls for providing $1 million to the program, which would offer victims health counseling and financial counseling.
Nauman said there are still populations and communities that are underserved by the program, including people with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning individuals; tribal populations; people with language barriers; immigrants; the homeless; and residents of rural areas.
As such, she said they want to collaborate more effectively at the local level, and expand the network of community groups – rape crisis, church, nonprofits – they work with that are in direct contact with those underserved populations in order to develop relationships and help individuals apply for assistance.
She said that, in some cases, a victim's first phone call may be to their church or another group.
“We want them to know as soon as possible there is help. It starts the healing process,” Nauman said.
She added that it's important that there are multiple ways of informing people about the program's availability.
She said that local collaboration is important, because Lake County will look different than other areas, like Madera or Los Angeles.
They're also working to stay up to speed on a number of crimes that are becoming more common, such as human trafficking and cyber bullying, she said.
Assistance at the local level
While Nauman said people can come directly to the state program, most of the applicants for assistance – varying by jurisdiction – come through the local district attorney or victim witness programs. She said applications are processed both locally and at the state.
She said law enforcement is required to inform victims of availability of the program, and she said her agency works closely with law enforcement to make sure they have the tools that they need, including informational cards and handouts.
Debbie Wallace has headed the Victim-Witness Division of the Lake County District Attorney's Office for five years, and has been with the program for 15.
She said the agency is governed by Penal Code 13835.5, which establishes rights for California's crime victims. As part of that, she said the state Legislature developed methods to reduce trauma to victims and witnesses after a crime.
Victim-Witness is funded by the Office for Victims of Crime and the California Office of Emergency Services, plus county funding and some other grants, Wallace said.
A lot of times, said Wallace, victims are further victimized as they become involved in the criminal justice system. Victim-Witness is there to help prevent that from happening.
“We can provide services for them,” she said, including providing counseling funds, medical funds if they're been injured, funeral/burial for victims, transportation assistance to court or child interviews.
Wallace said they assist victims by leading them through the legal process. Law enforcement has a Marsy's Law handout that they're supposed to give victims, but in some cases people haven't had that contact or haven't even filed a police report. In those cases, Victim-Witness connects them with the proper jurisdictions.
Victim-Witness oversees the multidisciplinary interview center, where child sexual assault advocate Crystal Martin coordinates interviews with victims' family, prosecutors and detectives, Wallace said.
Victim-Witness calls people to keep them posted on case status, explains the system and what to expect, and even escorts them to court. “We even fly people in from various states that are going to testify at trials,” said Wallace.
During testimony, an advocate can sit off to the side with them – especially child victims – when they are up on the stand, she said. They also provide a waiting area during court proceedings that is separate for the victims so they are not harassed in the hallway.
They also can help notify relatives, friends and employees of a crime at the request of the victim, Wallace said.
Wallace said her staff helps victims apply to the state compensation program and obtain restitution, but victims must specifically request that service. “When they ask we do provide assistance.”
Victim-Witness also will relocate victims, including placing domestic violence victims at the Lake Family Resource Center shelter or even helping them move out of state if they wish, she said.
Wallace said Victim-Witness also does a lot of restraining orders for domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse, and works with child welfare services, as well as giving public presentations on the criminal justice system.
People can call Victim-Witness at 707-262-4282 to set up an appointment.
For those with questions or who want to apply to the California Victim Compensation Program, Nauman encourages them to visit her agency's Web site at http://vcgcb.ca.gov/victims/ or call 800-777-9229.
California Victim Compensation Program: Lake County statistics, calendar year 2015
Applications received: 132
Applications processed: 128
Applications processed, by decision: Allowed, 123 (96 percent); denied, 5 (4 percent)
Applications processed by crime (listed alphabetically):
– Arson, 0;
– Assault, 53 (41 percent);
– Child abuse, 39 (30 percent);
– Driving under the influence, 4 (3 percent);
– Homicide, 21 (16 percent);
– Kidnapping, 0;
– Not covered or unspecified, 1 (1 percent);
– Other, 3 (2 percent);
– Other vehicular, 0;
– Robbery, 2 (2 percent);
– Sexual assault, 4 (3 percent);
– Stalking, 1 (1 percent).
Types of assistance sought:
– Dental, 0;
– Funeral/burial, $29,482 (20.8 percent);
– Income/support loss, $50,948 (35.9 percent);
– Medical, $17,819 (12.5 percent);
– Mental health, $15,693 (11 percent);
– Rehabilitation, $1,000 (0.07 percent);
– Relocation, $26,688 (18.8 percent).
Grand total of assistance paid to Lake County residents in 2015: $141,629.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.