California Victims’ Services Unit
California Victims’ Services Unit
The Victims’ Services Unit (VSU) was created in 1999 to better serve crime victims and their families. Victims have rights and Attorney General Bonta is committed to ensuring those rights are protected. VSU offers support and information to victims and their families at every stage of the criminal process. The unit accomplishes this by advocating for victims, and by helping identify and close any gaps in services available to victims offered by all levels of government. The unit works in conjunction with victim service providers and frontline prosecutors all across the state.
VSU works to provide client-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive services to all crime victims, including underserved, at-risk, underrepresented, and vulnerable populations. Through the unit’s services, victims can track the status of appeals, recusal cases, and other matters being handled by DOJ’s prosecutors. VSU has a dedicated and well-trained team of advocates who provide appeal notifications to victims and their families. These updates allow victims and their families to exercise their rights to address the court or otherwise participate in parole, clemency, and execution proceedings.
VSU also supports service providers and members of the public in tracking the progress of sexual assault evidence kits as they are processed both at the state and local level through the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Tracking (SAFE-T database). Importantly, VSU’s advocates work to help victims and their families acccess available resources that are a critical part of the healing process, such as mental health services, safety net services, and assistance through the California Victim Compensation Board for related crime expenses.
VSU liaises with service providers, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and government agencies in all of California’s 58 counties to assist victims and their families navigate the oftentimes complex criminal justice system. Connecting with local communities and sharing with them the services we provide is of the utmost importance. As a result, our team takes steps to participate in outreach, roundtables, and trainings in each of these counties wherever possible.
Contact info:
Website: https://oag.ca.gov/victimservices
Telephone: 877.433.9069
Email: [email protected]
VSU works to provide client-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive services to all crime victims, including underserved, at-risk, underrepresented, and vulnerable populations. Through the unit’s services, victims can track the status of appeals, recusal cases, and other matters being handled by DOJ’s prosecutors. VSU has a dedicated and well-trained team of advocates who provide appeal notifications to victims and their families. These updates allow victims and their families to exercise their rights to address the court or otherwise participate in parole, clemency, and execution proceedings.
VSU also supports service providers and members of the public in tracking the progress of sexual assault evidence kits as they are processed both at the state and local level through the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Tracking (SAFE-T database). Importantly, VSU’s advocates work to help victims and their families acccess available resources that are a critical part of the healing process, such as mental health services, safety net services, and assistance through the California Victim Compensation Board for related crime expenses.
VSU liaises with service providers, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and government agencies in all of California’s 58 counties to assist victims and their families navigate the oftentimes complex criminal justice system. Connecting with local communities and sharing with them the services we provide is of the utmost importance. As a result, our team takes steps to participate in outreach, roundtables, and trainings in each of these counties wherever possible.
Contact info:
Website: https://oag.ca.gov/victimservices
Telephone: 877.433.9069
Email: [email protected]
