Victim Services

The Victim Services Programs of Dodge, Fillmore, and Olmsted (DFO) Community Corrections provides a full range of direct services, community and professional education, systems advocacy and outreach to diverse populations in an attempt to both meet the needs of victim and survivors of sexual abuse and victims of other, primarily felony crimes and to change the social climate with the goal of preventing the ongoing use of violence and oppression. Services of both programs cover the three counties in Community Corrections with office locations in Rochester, Preston, and Mantorville. The sexual assault program's services include: 24 hour crisis line maintained by use of cellular phones to ensure immediate connections with a trained sexual assault advocate - either paid or unpaid staff: 24 hour crisis intervention services including accompaniment to emergency room and /or law enforcement; short term support counseling; support groups for survivors; advocacy with all parts of the criminal justice system including both general systems advocacy and advocacy on behalf of individual cases; advocacy with human service providers in the communities; extensive prevention programming including Touch and No Easy Answers presented to over 7000 individuals each year; community and professional education reaching a broad range of community individuals; 40 hour certified training for volunteers; and outreach activities which are designed to reach traditionally under served populations. Direct services of the Victim/Witness Assistance Program include: crisis intervention, short term emotional support, individual and group support; information and referral to a variety of human/social service agencies and other victim based programs; strong and effective advocacy with the criminal justice system including, witness preparation, accompaniment, transportation; assistance with emergency money for crime based costs; assistance with access to emergency legal advocacy; assistance with filing compensation claims and personal advocacy as needed and as identified by the victim. Other activities include community and professional education reaching the broad spectrum of the communities; volunteer recruitment, training and supervision as well as jury debriefing and victim offender conferencing.

Mission: We believe that victims have a right to be met with dignity and respect. To ensure that, the programs of Victim Services are committed to providing: *Advocacy and support to help meet the needs of crime victims *Advocacy designed to prompt systems change *Professional and community education; and *Prevention efforts to challenge the existence of violence in our communities The Sexual Assault Program was organized through the volunteer efforts of concerned citizens in Rochester. The 24-hour crisis line began operating in September of 1976. In October, 1977, the DFO Community Corrections Advisory Board voted to bring the Sexual Assault Program (then named Rape line) under its umbrella beginning January, 1978. The Victim/Witness Assistance Program joined the Sexual Assault Program in 1986 as DFO Community Corrections extended its commitment to ensuring system responsiveness and sensitivity to general crime victims.