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Commissioner Worley - Budget/Purchasing - To Accept and Appropriate Additional Funds for a Governor's Crime Commission Grant for Court Advocacy Services in Criminal Court ($241,338; 20% Match - Budgeted)
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STAFF CONTACT
Pat Laws - Budget/Purchasing - 704-866-3771
BUDGET IMPACT
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The 20% match will come from salaries already included in the budget.
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BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
N/A
BACKGROUND
Providing wrap-around advocacy to domestic violence (DV) victims is time intensive. This project will provide 2 Court Advocates dedicated to assisting and supporting a domestic violence victim from initial contact through the criminal court process--a process that can take up to two years. With additional positions, advocates will be able to go to the criminal courtrooms to offer services to victims and to collect contact information from the Magistrate's Office and District Attorney's Office. If a victim wants to file criminal charges or to check on current pending criminal charges, the advocate will be able to accompany him/her to other agencies within the courthouse: District Attorney's Office, Court Services, Public Defender's Office and Magistrate's Office. Advocates will be available to support victims who have court dates regarding DV criminal charges by sitting with victims in the courtrooms during the criminal proceedings so that they feel more at ease relaying events to the necessary individuals in the courtroom environment. Additionally, these positions will enable a weekend rotation of on-call advocates and a 2nd shift advocate for evenings resulting in more victims following through with coming to court and proceeding with the prosecution of these crimes that have a high probability of being dismissed without the victim's presence in court. The 20% in-kind match will be met through a portion of a Court Advocate's salary already included in the Sheriff's Budget and paid through Civil Service Processing Fees and through a portion of the Court A...
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