My upcoming book, Rest in Peace, is the third installment in my Ellis Springs Series
and will follow the story of Grace Werner, a county victim/witness advocate.
I’m sure some of you are reading this and thinking, “A what?” Grace is a victim/witness advocate. Those familiar with this field, most likely,
learned about it out of necessity. Using this description from www.victimsofcrime.org :
“Victim advocates are professionals
trained to support victims of crime. Advocates offer victims information,
emotional support, and help finding resources and filling out paperwork.
Sometimes, advocates go to court with victims. Advocates may also contact
organizations, such as criminal justice or social service agencies, to get help
or information for victims. Some advocates staff crisis hotlines, run support
groups, or provide in-person counseling. Victim advocates may also be called
victim service providers, victim/witness coordinators, or victim/witness
specialists.”
A victim/witness advocate is the unsung hero behind the
scenes. Their sole existence is for the victim and seeing the victim through
the excruciatingly long process of
the criminal justice system. The wheels of justice turn slowly, remember? An advocate
steps in to bridge the gap between incident and conviction.
I met with Dani Gorman, Victim Witness
Coordinator from Bradford County, Pennsylvania, for my latest character
research. While my book is a work of fiction (and I will use creative license
to the hilt,) it is my desire to provide an accurate portrayal of a victim/witness
advocate through my protagonist, Grace Werner. It gives me an opportunity to
put a spotlight on this very noble career and make people aware of its
existence. After meeting with Dani, let me just say, I have a new superhero to
idolize. Forget about Wonder Woman, Storm, or even Natasha Romanoff. Dani is a
true superhero—protector, companion, coach, and purveyor of justice. Her
superpowers include, but are not limited to, compassion, integrity, tenacity,
ingenuity and, maybe, a tad bit of well-placed intimidation where appropriate.
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| Hero worship makes it sound like I'm in elementary school. If I was, the drawing I'd make in class would look something like this. |
When
asked to describe her job and how she protects her clients while waiting for
justice to be served, Dani said, “I have to balance the fence between holding
hands (the victim’s) and kicking ass (those who threaten her client.)”
Her job, serving the victim, is serious business and her
duties, during the criminal process, involve court accompaniment, courtroom
orientation, tours of the courtroom for children, court testimony preparation, supportive
counseling, and notifications. She also offers assistance with Victim Impact
Statements, claims for restitution, filing for the Victim Compensation
Assistance Program and enrollment in the Inmate Status Notification Program. Victim/witness
advocates are a system-based program. In Bradford County, there is only one
advocate to serve the entire county. This gives a whole new meaning to the
phrase “stretched thin.” Dani’s office, within the DA’s office, handles, on
average, 1,000 cases a year; six to eight are homicides and eight to ten are
violent crimes which include domestic abuse, sexual assault, etc. Forty to
fifty percent of her cases involve DUI’s. While she can be brought in at the
point of a preliminary hearing, most of the time she doesn’t see the victim
until their case has already been processed through one of the four magistrates
within Bradford County. Just one case
can have as many as fifteen contact clients. Her position is grant-funded
through the state and she reports to the Bradford County Commissioners through
their Policy Board. Some counties in Pennsylvania have larger operating budgets
within their district attorney’s office, and can support their own program, in
which case, the advocate would serve at the pleasure of the district attorney.
At this point in our conversation, I
switched gears. In order for me to write Grace in an authentic manner, I needed
to get personal with Dani. I asked her how she mentally coped while working
through particularly difficult cases. She told me those cases just pushed her
harder to bring justice for the victim and it drove her to reach that goal. I
asked if she took the baggage of a hard day home with her. The answer was yes.
She said the key was not to dwell on it negatively, but to use it in a positive
manner to build herself up for the next hurdle. The victims she serves, she
reminded me, are the ones with the hardest challenges. They will be the ones
with lasting effects. She will do everything in her power to help prepare each
victim and coordinate services for them so they can reach the closure they need
within the legal system. I asked her if she was ever scared. She answered, “Not
inside the courthouse. They take care of us.” Sheriff’s deputies are always on
scene, manning the security screenings, stepping in when tensions flare, and
providing escorts to and from the building. All she needs to do, in most
situations, is convey a look or a gesture, and deputies come out of the
woodwork. Dani has the upmost respect
for them. She’s had experience being around law enforcement officers her entire
life. Her father is retired from the local police force. Following in the family tradition of public
servant, Dani studied Criminal Justice at Marywood University and served as a
probation officer before taking her current position. Her prior job gave her
experience working in direct contact with those convicted. That experience gave
her a backbone. She doesn’t intimidate easily. All of this is beneficial to the
victims in her care.
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| Dani Gorman - Victim/Witness Coordinator of Bradford County, Pennsylvania |
As our time spent talking over coffees
drew to a close, Dani spoke with grateful admiration for the network of
professionals in her everyday life. She made sure to recognize their
contributions to the criminal justice system. Members from the Abuse and Rape
Crisis Center of Towanda, a community-based service that assists victims of
domestic violence and sexual abuse, the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office,
Children and Youth Services, and the Bradford County District Attorney’s Office,
as well as other departments and law enforcement agencies, both local and
state, each play an integral role in ensuring justice is served for the victims
they represent. Dani also praised her fellow members from the National
Organization for Victim Assistance and how she and other members collaborate,
on a regular basis, to provide even better services to those in need. She
stressed that it takes teamwork to make the system successful. NOVA members are
a great sounding board of support for each other.
Leaving the café and walking to my
car, I thought about the impression Dani made on me. I wasn’t being flippant earlier
about the superhero thing. I have to stress that fact. Dani, regular citizen,
mother, and wife, is friendly and engaging. We hit it off and about ten minutes
into my interview, I wanted to invite her to join my book club! But just under
that friendly exterior lies the seasoned victim/witness coordinator of Bradford
County. The lioness. And God help the defendant who tries to mess with one of
the victims in her care.
