Victim Witness Specialist Lead

This position is open until filled.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office (serving Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Lincoln County and Elbert County) has an exciting opportunity for a Division Manager of Finance & Admin Services!
 
 We offer a generous benefits package, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401K matching, paid holidays and PTO.  
 
 Additionally, the 18th Judicial District also provides:
 

• Career advancement opportunities
• Trainings / Continuing Education 
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness opportunities for those who qualify.

(The following examples of duties are intended to be illustrative only and are not intended to be all inclusive; position may be assigned to District, Juvenile, County Court or Restitution and thus may not perform all the duties listed. Duties and assignments may also change based on the needs of the team and office.)

Provides supervision to personnel assigned to the office; provides effective recommendations to the Director of Human Resources, in concert with the Director of Victim Services and Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney, relative to the hiring, promotion, discipline, performance, salary considerations, and/or termination of same; assists with approvals for vacation requests; accuracy of monthly timecards; approval of extended work hours and/or adjusts work schedules as applicable. Assists with providing training and coverage to ensure adequate coverage of dockets during periods of absence of the Director and VW Team assigned personnel.  Assists in community engagement and education including Victim Rights related events. Assistance with grant applications, monitoring, tracking and report submissions. 

Acts as an advocate for victims, victims’ families, and witnesses to minimize the negative impact of the criminal justice system on same; greets many witnesses on arrival at court; explains the criminal justice system, processes, procedures, and meaning of legal terminology to victims and witnesses in lay terms; answers questions and provides information to assist them with the process of court proceedings and procedures, e.g. shelter, safety, transportation, compensation, therapy, and community referrals; ensures witnesses are present for hearings and appear at the appropriate times; accompanies victims to Court when they testify or when they are present for other hearings; provides court tours for victims and families to increase their awareness of the criminal justice system; returns appropriate evidence at the completion of cases to victims and other parties. 

Assists Deputy District Attorneys (DDAs) in case preparation by engaging in persuasion and problem solving with witnesses to assure their timely appearance in court; informs DDAs of any potential witness problems or special needs of victims or witnesses; schedules witness appointments for DDAs and schedules witnesses' trial appearance within a previously defined time frame or at attorney request; arranges transportation, food allowance, and housing for out-of-state witnesses. 

Works with staff to ensure all notification of critical stages is done accurately and in a timely manner; creates and maintains factual case records; reviews attorney case files to assure completeness of information. 

Initiates and responds to a wide variety of personal and telephone contacts with crime victims, police and lay witnesses to provide factual case-related information, e.g. calls to inform of case filing, case status, puts witnesses on call and calls off witnesses, case dispositions, status of case; greets many witnesses on arrival at court; explains the Criminal Court process and procedures and the meaning of legal terminology to victims and witnesses in lay terms, communicates with personnel from various departments and agencies to prepare cases and further assist victims and witnesses, e.g. Social Services, police and insurance agencies, probation offices, hospitals, doctor offices, detention facilities and schools. 

Monitors witness lists to ensure cases have all witnesses necessary for jury trials, court trials, motion hearings, and restitution hearings; keeps DDAs informed of witness status and potential conflicts; prepares personal service requests on the computer to ensure the attendance of victims and witnesses who do not want to come to court; attempts to locate victims and/or witnesses who have moved or whose addresses are incorrect. Logs witness waiver cards. 

Generates simple correspondence; collects information for the preparation of petitions for payment of witness expenses. Assists with training DDAs regarding victim issues, restitution issues, and Victim Rights enabling legislation. 

Opens up cases to gather and provide information for the DDA; determines whether new case filings are Victim's Rights cases; determines if traffic cases involved an accident or injury, and the seriousness of any such injuries; makes telephone calls to a variety of agencies regarding status of case and other inquiries; reads police reports for child abuse cases and contacts social services to gather necessary additional information, e.g. whether the child is still in the home, the status of the case, appropriate handling of case. 

May discuss plea agreements with victims to help increase their understanding of the process and describe possible alternatives. Generates a variety of letters and subpoenas; processes and mails notification letters to victims to provide information regarding their case; generates letters to victims to seek information from them regarding emotional impact and monetary losses they sustained as a result of criminal cases. 

Collects and provides information regarding restitution matters; sends restitution paperwork to victims of traffic accidents to recover monies for them; researches and investigates unpaid restitution issues and asks DDA to reorder restitution and/or request to issue a bench warrant. Prepares simple statistical information, e.g. number of subpoenas prepared. Educates victims and witnesses to assist them with HIV testing by answering questions, providing information, and explaining the process to them. 

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES:
Ability to effectively supervise and constructively evaluate the work of others; ability to confront work related personnel issues with tact and diplomacy; ability to train others in technical and procedural matters.
 
Considerable knowledge of the criminal justice system, standard legal/court procedures and terminology, and victimization issues, e.g. sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse; ability to discuss same with victims and witnesses of crimes.
 
Considerable knowledge of guidelines and statutes, e.g. Victim's Compensation Policy, Colorado Revised Statutes, Victim Rights enabling legislation, Grant opportunities and management, Child Abuse and Neglect Interagency Agreement, bond hearings, subpoena requests, and restitution issues; ability to find statutes applicable to situation; ability to stay informed and updated on ever-changing statutes. Considerable knowledge of standard office procedures and forms applicable to the specific unit and/or assignment.
 
Ability to operate standard office equipment, e.g. personal computer, fax, copier, etc. Working to considerable knowledge of word processing and database programs, e.g. E-Mail, Microsoft programs, Action etc. Considerable knowledge of Action processes and notification letters for victims. Ability to provide Criminal Justice System education, status of cases, court support, and referral services to victims and be sensitive to the needs of both victims and witnesses and the Criminal Justice System. Considerable familiarity with community agencies and resources.
 
Ability to organize, prioritize, and plan aspects of work; handle considerable detail and volume; be persistent and persuasive; to perform under pressure and stressful situations with courtesy and tact. Ability to organize and maintain a referral system from E-Mail regarding the status of cases and Victim/Witness policies and procedures.
 
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, subordinates, fellow workers, attorneys, other police and related agencies' personnel, and the public, including victims, witnesses, and clients; ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with same.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor’s degree in victim assistance, human services, criminal justice or closely related field AND four (4) years’ experience in crime victim services. Experience focused on high-risk adults and children, is preferred   Comparable education and experience that in the District Attorney’s discretion meets or exceeds the above criteria, will be considered. 

SUPERVISION:
Works under the supervision of the Director of Victim Services. Work is assigned as an area of responsibility; assistance is available in problematic areas. Provides supervision to subordinate personnel to ensure the timely and effective flow of work through the unit; provides training and reviews the work product of subordinate personnel; assists with performance reviews as applicable.

COMPLEXITY / RESPONSIBILITY:  
Work in the class is characterized by the range of routine to complex contacts and tasks necessary to assure victim/witness timely appearance in court while remaining sensitive to the stressful nature of the victim/witness situation. Errors may cause, to a significant degree, inaccuracies in reports or records and result in the dissemination of inaccurate or incomplete information, or indiscriminate dissemination of confidential information that would adversely affect public or employee relations or a case. Errors may require some time to trace and make all necessary corrections.

SCOPE OF INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:
Work in the class involves a wide variety of semi-complex personal and telephone contacts, some of which involve the use of persuasion and explanation to various levels of understanding; contacts are with superiors, fellow workers, victims, police and lay witnesses, other agencies and the general public, and involve the giving and receiving of non-routine, non-reoccurring information.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  
Work is generally confined to a standard office environment.