Compassion in Crisis: Reflections and Learnings from Volunteer Victim Advocates
Two members of our staff at LCJP, Claudia and Silvana, have experience as victim advocates in Colorado, and they sat together to share a bit about their personal experiences in the field and how it relates to the work they do at LCJP. Silvana and Claudia had completely differing reasons to volunteer in this high impact work. Though they soon realized that their personal experiences with the start of this journey were so very similar.
Silvana Munro and Claudia Melendez
Claudia: I chose to apply as a Volunteer Victim Advocate in the Fall of 2021 because I wanted the experience of working with victims so I could transition from the field of Housing Case Management to something related to Criminal Justice. Victim Advocacy was one of the jobs I was scoping as a possible career move, but I wanted to verify it was something I could handle mentally and physically first.
Silvana: I personally have been a victim of crime in the past in my country of origin, Peru. I was never offered any support or information about my rights, so I wanted to learn how to be that helping hand for victims here in the US. Volunteering, locally and internationally, is one of my core values, and this training also coincidently lined up with my work at LCJP.
The application process to become a volunteer was long and even though we both volunteered in Colorado, they were a bit different. The training varies and is dependent on where one applies to be a Victim Advocate; for someone applying for a position in a police department, there is an extensive interview. Sometimes a police department may include a voice stress analysis which is a lie detector test. If the person is deemed appropriate to start training, then the person will be accepted to start the Victim Advocate Academy. The Victim Advocate Academies are a 40-hour training commitment with topics spanning responsibilities of VA’s, professional boundaries, mental health, abuse, domestic violence, suicide and grief and loss.
Claudia: The training academy was long! Mentally I was handling the skills training just fine as my past work experiences helped me process difficult subjects. However, in the midst of my training, I received news of the passing of my best friend. I was learning all these valuable skills from professionals and trying to simultaneously use them for myself. I thought to myself “if I am expected to provide these tools and resources to people who are experiencing trauma, stress and grief, then I should be able to use them for myself in my moment of need.”
Silvana: I feel that the most valuable part of the academy was learning how to control my own emotions to adequately assist victims; listening to training topics like grief and loss after having recently lost both my parents was beyond challenging. However, the training equipped me with useful tools that I can utilize in my personal life and to guide victims, like communicating effectively during situations of extreme distress.
Claudia: The job of a Victim Advocate is to assist victims throughout their case process with resources and navigation. Usually, the first contact they have with victims is at the crime scene. This sets up Victim Advocates to work in extremely high stress/trauma situations and working with people who are actively in crisis mode. The case management that VA’s showcase are invaluable to a victim that can easily get lost in the criminal justice system. They want to guide victims to the correct avenues to decrease the lasting impact they can suffer after experiencing a crime.
It’s hard to imagine a time when victims had few legal rights, but this was the case before the 1970’s. The victims did not have to be notified of court proceedings or of the offender’s arrest/release. Fortunately, many states have now adopted victims’ rights amendments to their state constitutions. These rights began with the monumental 1984 Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) which included the Crime Victims Fund that was established to help victims with compensation. There was also the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) of 2004 that included the right to be protected from the accused and the right to be reasonably heard in court proceedings.
Silvana: During our conversation about victim advocacy, Claudia and I realized that both of our first calls were, unfortunately, deaths of young adults. We both bonded over our shared experiences and spoke about how we processed heavy cases, especially after both of us had recently lost loved ones in our personal lives. During the academy we were taught to compartmentalize any natural human emotion in order to effectively provide support to victims. I believe that an important ability of the advocates is to listen with empathy and compassion and not internalize the trauma because it’s not about the advocate; it’s about the victim.
Claudia: As I started my work at LCJP I tapped into both my case management and advocacy skills. Adjusting to speaking with harmed/responsible parties requires careful conversations and finding a comfort in being able to have difficult conversations. De-escalation skills were also invaluable; though we do not engage with RJ participants at the scene of the incident, emotions surrounding the occurrence can still make it a delicate conversation.
Silvana: I had been a volunteer community member at LCJP for about 5 years and I have had the chance to participate in multiple restorative justice conferences, some which had the victim in attendance. Now as I transition into the role of Program Coordinator, I get to work with LCJP in their victim-centered approach that allows victims to vocalize their needs in the Restorative Justice process.
This has been an incredible learning experience for both of us and as we continue our work with LCJP, we hope to continue to assist not just people who experienced harm, but also those who have caused the harm.
Post written by Claudia Melendez and Silvana Munro, LCJP’s Bilingual Program Coordinators.