Executive summary. Crime victim services. Part I, Notification services / prepared for the Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Crime Victim Services Report
Part I - Notification Services November 2002

Russell W. Hinton, State Auditor Performance Audit Operations Division Department of Audits and Accounts

254 Washington St, SW Atlanta, GA 30334

Notification Services Background:
Under the provision of the Crime Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR), two independent systems begin when a crime is committed: a system of notification services for all victims and a system of compensation and assistance services for victims who meet specified criteria. Regardless of the crime committed, or the apprehension of a suspect, all victims are to receive written notification of the: possibility of pretrial release of the accused; their rights and roles in the criminal justice process; the availability of compensation; and, the availability of community based assistance programs. Once a suspect is arrested, the CVBR states that the victim has the right to receive information on: the suspect's custody status; court proceedings; the availability of compensation, services, and assistance; the availability of temporary restraining or protective orders; and, the right to participate in the sentencing and parole process by filing a victim impact statement. These notifications are handled by local law enforcement personnel and the prosecuting attorney's offices.
Once an offender is sentenced to a state correctional institution, victims may register with the Department of Corrections to receive notification on the offender's custody status. Additionally, victims may register with the Board of Pardons and Paroles to receive information regarding parole status. The victim may also choose to submit a victim impact statement to be used by the Board when the offender is considered for parole.

Additional information on crime victim services is available in the companion report Crime Victim Services, Part II-- Compensation and Assistance Services. Georgia provides compensation to victims through the Crime Victims Emergency Fund, operated by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). In order to be eligible for funds, an individual must be a victim of a violent crime resulting in physical injury, financial hardship, or death. The maximum award is $25,000 per victimization.
CJCC also manages the federal Violence Against Women Act grant and the federal Victims of Crime Act grants; both of which were used to provide $2.8 million and $10 million, respectively, in funding to local victim assistance programs. Additional funding for these programs is provided through the state's Local Victim Assistance Program Fee, established in 1995. This statute provides for a penalty of 5% to be added onto all fines assessed in criminal cases. In order to receive these funds, local programs must obtain certification from the CJCC.

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Recommendations
Agencies responsible for ensuring that victims are aware of their rights and available services as described in the CVBR should consider establishing benchmarks for measuring their effectiveness on an ongoing basis. No benchmarks for measuring victims' awareness have been established by the CJCC, the Department of Corrections or the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Establishing benchmarks would allow these agencies to more accurately measure their impact in increasing victims' awareness of available services.
CJCC should take steps to ensure law enforcement personnel have accurate and complete information regarding the CVBR to give to crime victims. Site visits at 19 law enforcement agencies revealed 13 obtained the information they distributed from sources other than the CJCC; 4 of the 19 do not give any materials to victims.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles (PAP) should continue its efforts to improve its system for tracking victim information and notifications. Currently, the only way to determine if a victim was notified appropriately is to refer to the inmate file, of which there are approximately 47,000. The Board is currently developing a Lotus Notes database system that will allow them to determine which victims have requested notification. They should ensure the system includes a mechanism for management to verify all victims who request notification receive it.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles' Office of Victim Advocacy (OVA) and the Department of Corrections' Office of Victim Services (OVS) should expedite their efforts to establish a single point of contact to simplify and improve notification services to victims . Registration forms currently used by both agencies are nearly identical. Developing a formal policy to share victim information would reduce the amount of paperwork victims have to complete, as well as provide a mechanism to ensure victims are aware of all the notification systems the state has developed to assist them.
DOC should ensure the Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE) system is notifying victims appropriately. The VINE system serves as an enhancement to the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) by placing an automated phone call to registered victims when an offender's status changes. While our review determined that 49 of 50 victims were successfully notified, no ongoing system for evaluating VINE's effectiveness currently exists. Such a system for evaluation should be established to ensure that problems with the system do not go unchecked and that victims continue to receive the proper notifications.
While the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) has sound software and security controls, additional steps need to be taken to eliminate the opportunity for unauthorized users to gain access to the system. Technical personnel should not have access to the security module of the system. It should be noted that DOC is currently developing a security program and has personnel assigned to perform the security management role which will alleviate this problem.
CJCC should take action to increase awareness of victims' assistance programs, as well as facilitate coordination and sharing of information between assistance programs to improve services provided to victims. Improving law enforcement personnel's awareness of the programs available in their areas, and improving communication and sharing of ideas among programs would help ensure that victims received better information and that services are targeted to their needs.

For additional information or to request a copy of the Program Evaluation, contact Paul Bernard at 404-657-5220.

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