So many of you have reached out to me requesting more information on the Civil Justice Seminars being held in CA in April, 2012 … so here you go!

As you know, I am a huge proponent of the Civil Justice system – it served me well in the legal sense, but from an emotional place as well.  I felt so empowered being part of the civil process (completely opposite what I experienced in the criminal system), so prevailing in that setting was poetic.  The ownership we felt in that courtroom, knowing that is was OUR efforts, OUR case, OUR victory, OUR justice, Ron’s justice … is almost indescribable.   So the point to this post is, GO GO GO to the seminar!

 

Information sent to me directly from the National Center for Victims of Crime

A SEMINAR FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS
The National Center for Victims of Crime offers a full-day training seminar on civil remedies for victims of crime. There is no registration fee to attend the training seminar. This dynamic and engaging program will be tailored to the laws of the state in which the seminar is being held and includes a panel of experienced attorneys admitted to the bar of that state in order to address participants’ specific questions of state law.

The criminal justice system is a process involving the defendant and the state and seeks to hold perpetrators accountable to society. The civil justice system, in contrast, was designed to hold offenders and other responsible parties directly accountable to the victim. Many victims of crime do not pursue civil remedies because they are not aware of the civil justice system. Victim advocates and other service professionals should have a basic understanding of the civil justice system so they can inform victims of the possibility of civil justice and refer them to appropriate legal services that can assist victims in pursuing civil remedies in a manner that complements the criminal prosecution.

OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
• Explore victims’ diverse motivations for pursuing civil justice and learn both the benefits and drawbacks of civil actions;
• Build on their pre-existing knowledge of the criminal justice system to understand the parallel civil justice system and how the two systems compare and contrast;
• Examine the application of civil remedies for victims of homicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, child sexual abuse, drunk driving, theft and other crimes;
• Discuss the advantages of developing collaborative relationships with legal service providers and more fully integrating those providers into the multi-disciplinary victim services community;
• Learn the importance of finding attorneys who have the experience, ability and understanding necessary to represent victims effectively, compassionately, and in a way that helps victims rather than subject them to additional trauma; and
• Identify resources available to victim service providers to help empower victims to make informed choices about the civil remedies available to them.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The National Center for Victims of Crime seeks to educate a broad range of professionals from various disciplines about how crime victims can seek redress through the civil justice system in addition to the criminal justice system.
Professionals who can benefit from this program include:
• System-based victim advocates working in prosecutors’ offices, police departments, sheriffs’ departments, crime victim compensation boards, departments of correction, and other government agencies;
• Community-based victim advocates working in rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, colleges and universities, community coalitions, and various non-profit organizations;
• Mental health service providers;
• Law enforcement officers;
• Social Workers;
• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Forensic Nurse Examiners;
• Prosecutors; and
• Probation and Parole Officers.