Victims Advocates and Domestic Violence Lawyer in Larimer County
Larimer, Grand and Boulder County District Attorney’s Offices have received funding from the state to hire employees whose job title is “Victims Advocate.” In fact, along with the District Attorney’s offices, most sheriffs’ offices and police departments have Victim Assistance Units, whose sole purpose is to work for the benefit of the prosecution. They are mainly focused on Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Sex Assault cases. Despite their effort to appear neutral, they are strong advocates for the prosecution. In twenty-four years, we have never seen a victim’s advocate oppose the District Attorney on any matter.
Other Domestic Violence Issues
Fort Collins Domestic Violence AttorneyWhat Do Victims Advocates Do in Fort Collins?
While we know there are some very good victim’s advocates, we have come across many who are not interested in the facts of situations, but only in getting the harshest convictions. They push for women’s rights and overprotecting alleged victims, which is not always in their best interest. In domestic violence cases, we have heard about victim’s advocates telling a mother, the alleged victim, that she will lose custody of her kids if she doesn’t divorce her husband. Instead of looking for reconciliation and restoration for the family, they focus on punishing the accused and use threats to get women to do what is “best for them.” They let their bias get in the way.
Weld County DV Lawyer Victims Advocates in Loveland and Estes Park Are the Go-Betweens
The victim’s advocate is supposed to be the voice of the victim. Any information the victim shares with the advocate is confidential, and hidden from the defense. In Fort Collins, Loveland and Boulder, we have seen victims quickly ushered out of the courtroom to keep defense attorneys from speaking to them. This can affect the defense lawyer’s ability to effectively prepare for trial and goes against fair judicial process. It is allowed, however, because a victim’s advocate argues that it is all for the victim’s protection.