The plan in this newsletter is to provide you with information that will be helpful in understanding the characteristics of the criminal justice system "through the eyes" of the crime victim. Our desire is that this newsletter will assist you in staying connected to resources relating to victimization in South Carolina. It is paramount that we understand the necessity of building strong relationships with key resources in the community which can not only show support for the victims but can also educate them. We also endeavor to inform the community about the mission, vision and goals of our Department. Therefore, this newsletter will feature communication tips; announce upcoming events, and showcase articles that highlight both effective victim services programs as well as individuals who are committed to victim advocacy

South Carolina Office of Victim Services

South Carolina State Documents Depository

Through their eyes

The plan in this newsletter is to provide you with information that will be helpful in understanding the characteristics of the criminal justice system "through the eyes" of the crime victim. Our desire is that this newsletter will assist you in staying connected to
resources relating to victimization in South Carolina. It is paramount that we understand the necessity of building strong relationships with key resources in the community which can not only show support for the victims but can also
educate them. We also endeavor to inform the community about the mission, vision and goals of our Department. Therefore, this newsletter will feature communication tips; announce upcoming events, and showcase articles that highlight both effective victim services programs as well as individuals who are committed to victim advocacy

Through Their Eyes... SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PROBATION, PAROLE AND PARDON  SERVICES  OFFICE OF VICTIM SERVICES JULY 2013 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services' Office of Victim Services (OVS) welcomes you to the inaugural edition of our quarterly newsletter.  Being a victim of a crime can be a very traumatic experience. Each person copes with the aftermath of victimization in their own unique way.  The impact of crime is difficult for the average person to comprehend. Often the damage done is irreparable.  We all need to know more about victims and how we can best provide services to them that are effective and meaningful.  Our plan in this newsletter is to provide you with information that will be helpful in understanding the characteristics of the criminal justice system "through the eyes" of the crime victim.  Our desire is that this newsletter will assist you in staying connected to resources relating to victimization in South Carolina.  It is paramount that we understand the necessity of building strong relationships with key resources in the community which can not only show support for the victims but can also educate them.   We also endeavor to inform the community about the mission, vision and goals of our Department. Therefore, this newsletter will feature communication tips; announce upcoming events, and showcase articles that highlight both effective victim services programs as well as individuals who are committed to victim advocacy.   You are invited to join us in building this continuous, information sharing forum regarding victim issues, initiatives within our Agency, and opportunities for our stakeholders and anyone outside of the Agency to share the mission of promoting victims' rights.    We welcome your input, suggestions, and comments.  With your support, this newsletter can prove to be invaluable as you communicate daily with victims of crime. Welcome to Through Their Eyes…! About NCVRW . . .  President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) in 1981. Since that time, NCVRW has challenged the nation to continue promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf.  Therefore, every year organizations throughout the country shine a spotlight on this observance by offering activities and events for victims, survivors, victim services providers and the community.  Celebrated April 21st - 27th this year, the 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week theme was entitled “New Challenges. New Solutions.” This theme encouraged us to consider the innumerable challenges and problems facing crime victim services, victims’ rights and public safety.  National Crime Victims’ Rights Week offers an opportunity to renew and strengthen our partnerships and teamwork, and to highlight the collaborative approaches that are integral to its purpose. The week also allows us offer solutions that arise out of the cooperative efforts of all of the varied agencies and organizations working together on this mutual mission.   National Crime Victims’ Rights Week showcases the talent, creativity, knowledge, and experiences of victim-serving professionals throughout the nation. Celebrating National Crime Victims’ Rights Week NCVRW Highlights 2 The Voice of the Victim 2 NCVRW:  Team Effort 3 Communique` 3 New Task Force 4 Dates of Interest 4 About the Office of Victim Services 4 Inside this issue: Agency Spotlight 3 From the  South Carolina Victim’s Bill of Rights   Victim Rights  # 1  Be treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, and to be free from intimidation, harassment, or abuse, throughout the criminal and juvenile justice process, and informed of the victim’s constitutional rights, provided by statute.  Carol Woodard Director of Victim Services educational displays and lots of “goodies” for the participants.  These vendors were from local and state government as well as non-profit organizations reflecting the varied services that are available in the community to victims of crime.  Those in attendance included victims, law enforcement, victim services providers/ advocates, church pastors and members, and the public. This great community awareness event helped bring into perspective what is needed in our communities to ensure that victims receive assistance and receive justice for the crimes committed against them. This year’s event was quite ambitious.  Who could fathom one event in four locations?  Although there were some hiccups during the simulcast, the event proved to be beneficial to all in attendance.  The event featured great speakers, including:  national trainer Aurelia Sands Belle (Columbia); Sammie Stroud from the Alston Wilkes Society (Greenville); The Honorable Taft Guiles (Florence); and Survivor Teresa Damato (Charleston).   Attendees were entertained by professional singers at some sites: Anderson County’s Victim Services Coordinator Wanda Johnson sang the National Anthem in Greenville and Deputy Director for Paroles and Pardons Robert Mitchell and Program Coordinator Detra Cooley paid a moving tribute to victims with their rendition of “The Prayer.”  We had outstanding vendors in all four locations (too many to list) who came out for the event with The Voice of the Victim During National Crime Victims’ Right Week, we reaffirm our commitment to victims and survivors.  We recognize that hearing the voice of the victim is critical to understanding what victim services are necessary. During the Community Awareness Project, victims were invited to participate in the programs by sharing their stories. From Survivor to Advocate:  Ms. Cheryl Jones  In Columbia, we were privileged to hear from Mrs. Cheryl Jones, who has been a Certified MADD Victim Advocate in Kershaw County for the past five years.  But her involvement with the criminal justice system did not begin as a volunteer or as an advocate, it began when her son was killed at age 22, by a drunk driver.   Since that time she has been heavily involved as both a volunteer and a victim’s advocate. In 2007 she established a Midlands Chapter of a Worldwide organization entitled, the Compassionate Friends.  This support organization is devoted to people whose children, grandchildren or siblings died at any age and by any cause. She has served as a peer support with the Families of Highway Fatalities and as a volunteer in her county on the CAST, Community Awareness for a Safer Tomorrow.  Cheryl stated that, “the last 9 1/2 years has been an emotional roller coaster, especially the first 2 ½.  I was trying to find a place for the ‘new normal me’ to fit in.”  Cheryl explained that she had always been a volunteer for many different organizations but the work she does now as volunteer came from circumstances that deeply affected her life.  Cheryl has found a way to turn her anguish and grief into helping others who are now caught in the maze of the Criminal Justice System. Keeping His Memory Alive:  Family of Constable Robert Bailey In Charleston, the audience listened to the voices of the family of Constable Robert Bailey who was murdered in Charleston County in 2007 as he attempted to conduct a traffic stop.  They shared their experiences regarding the violent unexpected loss of their father and then having to interact with the criminal justice system at the same time.  This family is doing what they can to continue living a meaningful life despite the pain and to help others heal by speaking out and sharing their story.   Victims/Survivors such as these challenge victim services providers and motivate us to work even harder to reach every victim in need.  Article Contributors: OVS Director Carol Woodard, Victim Services Coordinators Bernadette Brown — Charleston, Mamie Hannah — Florence, and Karen Patterson — Greenville Page 2 THROUGH THEIR EYES... The Lotus Flower A Symbol of Survival  The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the darkness. The lotus rises out of the depths of the muck and mire. The deeper the mud, the more beautiful the lotus blooms.  The lotus may appear fragile on the surface, but it is flexible and strong, securely anchored under the surface of the water.    It is a survivor! Guest speaker Aurelia Sands Belle  Spoke at the Columbia site. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week @ PPP Our Department’s participation in the NCVRW Community Awareness Project added to the success of the national week long observance.   We hosted three events: 1) Collaboration in the Face of New Challenges;" training for victim services providers;  2) a Community Awareness Exhibition and Simulcast; and 3) Underserved Communities Display.   This great feat could not have taken place with such finesse without the dedicated people who worked together in a dedicated and supportive team effort:  Carol Woodard, Office of Victim Services, Chair Bernadette Brown, Charleston County Alan Collins, Florence County Ethel Ford, State Office of Victim Assistance Jodi Gallman, Office of Executive Programs Lynn Graham, SC Department of Public Safety  Mamie Hannah, Florence County Arnise Moultrie, Office of Executive Programs Peter O’Boyle, Office of External Affairs Mitchell Ray, Charleston County Jennifer Robinson, Pee Dee Coalition Susan Paitl, Charleston County Karen Patterson, Greenville County Jeremy Windle, Greenville County Our deepest gratitude and appreciation is extended to those sub-committee members from each of the four project sites, both inside and outside of the Agency,  who  worked behind the scenes to contact speakers, identify vendors, reach out to victims and to assist wherever needed.  Several committee members also participated in media events to promote activities for the week.  Thank you for your help in promoting public awareness of the rights and services for victims of crime.  We could not have done it without you! NCVRW Observance :  A Team Effort Communiqué – Effective Communication Some “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of Communicating with Victims Page 3 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Do: Attempt foremost to communicate trust, support and confidence. Allow victims to tell what happened and describe how they are feeling in their own words. In as many ways as possible, give victims back the control the offender took away. Reassure them that their feelings are quite normal and natural. Be willing to listen to the victim share his/her experience, and validate that experience with empathy and support. Be alert for hidden meanings and messages not directly expressed by the victim. Be encouraging, but not unrealistic. Be alert for opportunities to stress the victim’s qualities/strengths, but don’t patronize. Accept that they may never know if a victim follows through with your recommendations. Have an information and referral system (with names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and websites) to determine appropriate referrals. Ask for assistance from a supervisor if a call appears to be too difficult to handle yourself. Recognize that mistakes will be made and that increased skills come from learning from your mistake. Don’t: Be judgmental or blame the victim for what happened to him/her. “Second guess” how the victim reacted to the crime, either at the time it occurred or in the aftermath. Avoid the victim or listening about his/her reaction to the crime. Try to frame the victim’s experience to any possible similar experience, including your own.  It is essential to individualize each victim, each crime, and each victim’s reaction. Be “over helpful” by making decisions and choices for the victims. Be afraid of silence. Use it constructively. Become flustered by the victim’s anxiety or urgency. “Take sides” with a victim who has had difficult experiences with the criminal/juvenile justice system. Avoid “trash talk” about allied professionals at all costs! Become defensive or arrogant, or get into an argument with a victim. Expect to be a psychotherapist or to know all the “right” answers.  Source:  Justice Solutions © 2001 Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. John Milton Agency Spotlight  SOUTH CAROLINA Victim Service Coordinating Council  “Helping to promote the highest quality of victim services across the state.”  The S.C. Victim Service Coordinating Council (VSCC) is a separate, autonomous body housed in the State Office of Victim Assistance (SOVA).  The Council, established under Section 16-3-1440 of the SC Code of Laws, is a state-level advisory body representative of all agencies and groups involved in victim/witness services.  Its mission is to utilize engaged discussions and group planning to: improve coordination efforts of victim service providers; suggest policy and procedural improvements to victims’ service agencies and groups; and recommend needed statutory changes to the General Assembly regarding victim related issues.   Dates of Interest All victim services providers who are responsible for direct services to victims of crime are required to be certified through the Office of Victim Services Education and Certification within the Office of the Crime Victims’ Ombudsman. Victim Service Providers (VSP), must acquire 12 hours of annual continuing education credits to maintain certification.   Below is a sample of the types of training that are available to VSPs both locally and nationally. September 9-11, 2013 -  National Center for Victims of Crime 2013 National Conference, Arizona Grand Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.   www.victimsofcrime.org/ September 15-18, 2013 -  The 39th National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) Conference www.trynova.org/ October  22, 2013 -  SC Victim Assistance Advanced Academy, at Manchester Meadows, 3337 E. Mount Gallant Road, Rock Hill, SC 29730-9054.  For more information, contact Ethel Ford at eford@oepp.sc.gov.  Other victim service provider/advocate local training available at www.oepp.sc.gov/ovsec/training.html. Proprietary Disclaimer This document (including all data and statistical information represented herein) was compiled and reported by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.  Any reproduction or republication of said report, articles, data, or statistics is permitted only if reproduced in its entirety without modification, or omission, and must identify the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services as the source. PPP’s Victim Services Staff  Carol Woodard Director  Missy Knight Assistant Director  Sandra McCray Victim Services Liaison  Betsy Hegler Victim  Services Coordinator   To increase the Department’s commitment to provide comprehensive services to crime victims, the Department employs Victim Services Coordinators and Specialists (VSC/VSS) throughout the state. They are the contact staff for victims if they have questions about their cases.   Victim Services Coordinators/Specialists   Anthony White Aiken County  Wanda Johnson Anderson County  Katura Stephens Beaufort County  Bernadette Brown Charleston County   Susan Paitl Charleston County  Susan Clemmons Darlington County  Mamie Hannah Florence County  Karen Patterson Greenville County  Randy Worrell Horry County  James (Tim) Williams Lancaster County  Nicole Morreale Lexington County  Debbie Arnold Laurens County    Andrea Fogle  Orangeburg County  Jacqueline Smith Richland County  Bert Sparks Spartanburg County  Stacy McCray Sumter County    John Barnett York County  Through Their Eyes is a quarterly publication of  the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services Office of Victim Services  Any questions or comments should be directed to  Director of Victim Services  Carol Woodard at SCDPPPS Post Office Box 50666 2221 Devine Street, Suite 300 Columbia, South Carolina 29250 Phone: 803-734-9367 Toll Free: 888-551-4118 E-mail: cwoodard@ppp.state.sc.us Website: www.dppps.sc.gov  Kela E. Thomas Director  Carol R. Woodard Editor  Arnise N. Moultrie Newsletter Designer Victim Services Task Force An eight-member cross sectional team has been formed to look at more efficient ways to better serve victims of crimes committed by our offenders.  The team is working on a more concise mission statement, as well as what vision we are seeking to obtain with our services. We have also met with our Information Technology staff to seek out ways to automate some services so as to free up time that may be spent on a more personal level with crime victims.  We anticipate some exciting changes in the way we provide services to victims in the future.  Committee members include Regional Director Margarette Parrish (Chair), Director of Victim Services Carol Woodard, Asst. Director of Victim Services Missy Knight, Director of Executive Programs Jodi Gallman, Richland Victim Services Coordinator Jackie Smith, Marlboro AIC Monnie English, Abbeville Agent Jeff Sorrow and Sumter Team Leader Richard Fletcher. About the Office of Victim Services Keeping Victims Informed   Since 1986, PPP’s Office of Victim Services (OVS) has been serving victims of crime.  A pioneer among the nation’s probation and parole agencies, we endeavor to keep victims informed of the status of their cases and to make certain they are as informed as possible throughout the process. As a victim service provider, we recognize that the victimization of a person does not end at conviction, but can continue through the incarceration period and on into the offender’s release back into the community. The OVS is committed to providing far-reaching support to victims and their families.  By using the services offered by the Department, victims and witnesses obtain quicker and more comprehensive responses to their questions about probation, parole or any of the other community corrections programs.  In addition, we network with other local, state and federal victim services agencies and advocacy organizations to help provide a durable link and continuum of services for the victim/survivor.  We aim to keep victims informed and hopefully help make the process easier. 

https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/bitstream/10827/47600/1/PPP_OVS_Through_Their_Eyes_2013-07.pdf

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South Carolina State Documents Depository

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