Course Description

Participants will be prepared to work in victim advocacy arenas, such as domestic violence shelters, crisis centers, crisis hotlines, and with state and county governments to assist crime victims in progressing through the criminal justice system and toward successful recovery. Course topics include legal terminology, legal process, legislation regarding victims' rights, jurisdiction and venue, ethics, effects of victimization on the victim, victim advocate skills, guardianships and crisis intervention. It also covers counseling skills for victims of assault, battery, robbery, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, murder and homicide.

Additional Information

Lesson 1: This first section focuses on legal terminology and the legal process, theories of victimization, effects of crime on victims and guidelines for responding to victims of crime and trauma. Crime victim statutes will also be discussed.

Lesson 2: This section covers crisis theories and the role of the crisis interventionist. Students will learn how to respond to crisis situations, understand the actual nature of the crisis, assess the victim's situation, and implement effective listening skills to determine the best support system for the victim.

Lesson 3: During this section, students will learn the facts and myths regarding domestic violence, crimes against children, sexual assault, and related crimes. Discussions will include restraining orders, basic police procedures, guidelines for assisting those dealing with the death of a love done, and the role of the victim advocate. Job search strategies and placement possibilities will also be discussed.

A high school diploma or GED is a prerequisite, but students will be expected to complete a significant amount of homework and pass two exams.

Assist Crime Victims

This is a course on the rapidly growing field of victim advocacy and assistance.

Participants will be prepared to work in victim advocacy arenas, such as domestic violence shelters, crisis centers, and crisis hotlines, and with state and county governments assisting crime victims in progressing through the criminal justice system and toward successful recovery.

Training in this area will prove to be rewarding to your career possibilities in the area of law enforcement and crime victim advocacy.

Recommended Books

Oran's Dictionary of the Law, 4^th Edition - ISBN978-1-4180-8091-4

Westlaw Access

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.