Championing victims' rights in court
The legal system can often be intimidating and complex for victims to navigate. This can lead to victims avoiding engaging with it altogether, potentially leaving them without access to justice, protection, or critical resources. Victims might even miss out on opportunities for restitution or protective orders that keep them safe.
That’s why we partner with the Municipal Court of Atlanta to assist victims of crime whose cases are assigned to it. Our advocates work onsite at the courthouse, providing needs assessments for victims and witnesses, notifying victims of scheduled court appearances, working with them to resolve issues and remove barriers that might prevent them from appearing in court, and often attending court alongside victims.
Court advocates provide:
Direct services to domestic violence survivors
Advocates review police reports and court cases to identify signs that the situation may have been related to domestic violence, dating violence, or sexual assault. The advocates reach out to potential victims to explain the criminal justice system process that their case will go through and offer access to services and resources. Services include safety planning; referrals to other shelter, legal, and economic resources; advocacy for medical, civil, or criminal justice issues; crisis intervention; education about the criminal justice system and process; and referrals to culturally specific and population-specific services.
Survivors of domestic violence often seek Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs) to keep themselves and their children safe from their abusers. However, the process can be overwhelming, arduous, and confusing, leading to incomplete or insufficient applications and denied requests. This leaves survivors vulnerable and with a decreased sense of security.
With assistance from the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers (AVLF) Foundation, our court advocates have been trained to help survivors complete and expedite TPO requests. For many survivors of domestic violence (DV), having a TPO in place increases their sense of safety, and in 2023, 100% of our clients who requested TPOs received them.
Assistance in identity theft
We provide a trained and highly skilled court advocate to assist victims of identity theft and financial fraud. When a criminal fraudulently identifies themselves to police as another individual at the point of arrest, it is referred to as "Criminal Identity Theft." Victims might only learn of such incidents by chance. For example, they may receive a court summons, discover their driver's license is suspended when stopped for minor traffic violations, or fail a background check when performed for employment purposes.
It can be difficult for the victim of criminal identity theft to clear their record. This results in the psychological trauma of being 'cloned' lasting for several months or years.
Court advocacy by the numbers
domestic violence survivors served in the past year
of our clients who requested TPOs received them
victims of identity theft and fraud served in 2023
