LAKE COUNTY – The Victim-Witness Division of Lake County District Attorney’s Office has received another two years of funding from the United States Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women totaling $400,000.

“This funding is huge for Lake County,” said Victim-Witness Director Sam Laird.

The funding, coupled with one smaller domestic violence grant, allows Victim-Witness to offset the personnel costs of a full-time deputy district attorney, district attorney investigator and victim advocate, that handle only domestic violence cases, Laird said.

“The level of funding the office has received for this grant over the last six years has remained the same,” according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins, “and with our costs going up, we have received the support from the Board of Supervisors to continue our efforts to protect victims of domestic violence.”

The grant is officially the Grant to Encourage Arrest and Enforcement of Protection Orders (GTEA) and has allowed the District Attorney’s Office to create a Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT).

“It supports vertical prosecution, so the specialized team can work the case from beginning to end,” said Hopkins. “Our office has had great success with vertical prosecution for over 15 years.”

The units are made up of a prosecutor, investigator and victim advocate, Laird reported.

Laird said he and Karen MacDougal work together to write all of the Victim-Witness grants.

“Vertical prosecution units provide continuity to the victims,” said Laird. “The case is handled by the same prosecutor, investigator and advocate, from the time it’s sent over to the DA’s Office for review. Victims aren’t shuffled around from with different Deputy DA’s handling various hearings and sentencing and are able to pick up the phone and call their advocate, the same advocate, throughout the entire process.

“It’s a process that helps prevent the victim being re-traumatized through their involvement in the criminal justice system,” Laird added. “It goes to the core of the Victim’s Rights Movement. Our whole purpose is to make the victim’s involvement, which is sometimes mandatory, as un-intimidating and non-traumatic as possible. They’ve been through enough already.”

Laird estimated that the number of domestic violence cases referred to the District Attorney's Office annually – based on an average of the last two years – was 65 felony cases and 400 misdemeanors.

Of those, 65 felony cases were filed, along with 210 misdemeanor case filings, Laird added.

Laird said through its programs, Lake County Victim-Witness assists about 500 new domestic violence victims and children per year.

The District Attorney’s Office has vertical prosecution units dedicated to child abuse, sexual assault, elder and dependent adult abuse and driving under the influence that are grant funded as well.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}