Victim's Advocate
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Brooke Dolan Victim's Advocate |
BROADWATER COUNTY VICTIM/WITNESS ADVOCATE
BROOKE DOLAN
515 BROADWAY
TOWNSEND, MT 59644
(406)266-9237
bdolan@co.broadwater.mt.us
Mission Statement
The goal of the Victim Assistance Program is to support and aid victims of crime as they move through the criminal justice process; to provide them with assistance, services, and resource information; to promote participation in the criminal justice system by educating victims about their rights and to advocate for the enforcement of these rights; and to coordinate with other community agencies to ensure continuity of support for victims.
Definitions
A victim is a person who has suffered financial, social, psychological or physical harm as a result of a crime and, in the case of a homicide, is a member of the immediate family of the victim.
A criminal defendant is a person charged with a crime. A criminal defendant is not considered a victim.
Services Provided
- Inform victims of their rights and help them to invoke and uphold those rights
- Court accompaniment throughout all stages of the criminal justice process
- Notification of court events and case status
-Assistance with restitution and crime victims compensation applications
- Safety planning and referrals to community resources
-Assistance to victims whose protective orders have been violated
- Provide referrals to counseling and/or community resources
-Case Status Notification
Victim advocates call or send a written notice of the charges filed, a brochure outlining crime victims' rights and a form to use to invoke specific rights, a loss form for requesting restitution from the defendant and a brochure that provides general information about the criminal justice system and the Victim Assistance Program. Follow-up phone calls or written notifications are made at important steps in the case, such as a trial setting. At the close of the case, a summary of the sentence is sent to the victim.
Below are some additional helpful resources for victims.
Office of Victims of Crime www.crimevictims.gov 1-800-363-0441
National Center for Victims of Crime www.victimsofcrime.org 1-202-467-8700
Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting www.dphhs.mt.gov 866-820-5437
Mothers Against Drunk Driving www.madd.org 1-877-623-3435
Parents of Murdered Children www.pomc.org 1-888-818-7662
National Center on Elder Abuse www.ncea.aoa.gov 1-855-500-3537
Domestic Violence Shelters www.domesticshelters.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline www.thehotline.org 1-800-799-7233 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network www.rainn.org 1-800-656-HOPE
National Organization for Victims Assistance www.trynova.org 1-800-879-6682
Identity Theft Resource Center www.idtheftcenter.org 1-888-400-5530