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deal with reliving her ordeal during the trial of her assailant. They help the young victims of child abuse handle the frightening unfamiliarity of a courtroom. They lead families who have lost a loved one to a drunk driver or murderer to the support that counseling can provide. They help the bewildered victims of a house breaking fill out the identification forms that may help them recover stolen heirlooms.
The witnesses to crime are kept informed on the status of upcoming legal proceedings. Babysitters are found, transportation is arranged, employers are contacted and a hundred other things are done to ease the disruption that a court appearance can create.
For most Rappahannock folks, being a victim of crime or a witness to an illegal act is the only time they come in contact with the criminal justice system. Victim-Witness is a program designed to make that contact as painless as possible.
Organizing such a program, finding and coordinating the volunteers, establishing the necessary liason with law enforcement agencies is a big job, Rappahannock has an expert waiting to assist the person who tackles it. Irene Wodell has offered her help. There’s no one any more qualified. She’s made Loudoun County’s Victim-Witness Program a model for ■ both the state and the nation. ;
A Victim-Witness Program can ‘ save tax dollars by eliminating time that law enforcement personnel now spend waiting unnecessarily for their turn in the witness stand, time that the Commonwealth’s Attorney now spends explaining the intricacies of the legal process or assisting a victim with filling out a compensation form.
A Victim-Witness Program can go far toward building the public confidence and support without which a criminal justice system cannot function effectively.
But most importantly, a VictimWitness Program can relieve human suffering.
The $4,000 that Rappahannock’s supervisors will be asked to contribute for establishing a Victim-Witness Program here just may be the best $4,000 this county will ever spend.
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