Help available for victims of crime

For those who find themselves the victims of any crime, it can be hard to know what to do next.

The Hot Springs County Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Program can provide assistance in those cases.

Victim witness coordinator, Ranae Baldes said the program, which began around 1990, is for the victim of any crime in Hot Springs County, but also can be used by victims outside the county. It can help those victims navigate the judicial system, she said, to make sure of their victims’ rights. “We’re the liaison with the prosecuting attorney and the courts, and law enforcement.” The program is also a point of contact to Victims Compensation, which is run by the Division of Victim Services in the Attorney General’s Office.

There is no cost for the program, and state and federal funds for it are managed by the Division of Victim Services. Baldes said they have to put in for grants, and the county matches the federal funding, provided through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).

The program has to be in compliance with standards with regard to the federal and state funding, Baldes explained this involves things such as making sure the money is used for what they say it will be, being ADA compliant, having a violence-free workplace and maintaining victim confidentiality. Full compliance checks are done during even years – the last was in 2014 – and in odd years there are “desk reviews” done over the phone and through paperwork sent in by Baldes. There is also information which has to be sent in on a monthly basis.

Baldes said she sees a lot of use of the program, pointing out it’s not number-based at all. Some people might come in and get some information and handouts, while others go through the court system and have more contact. “If we only serve one person,” Baldes said, “we’re serving our purpose. The main purpose of it is to make sure the victims of a crime don’t slip through the cracks of the system. It’s there to hold the offender accountable and we want to make sure they have a process in that, and they are part of that process.”

Baldes pointed out the program is victim-driven and based on how much the victims want to be involved. Some want to go through the entire court process, while others might decided at a certain point they no longer want to be involved.

For more information on the program, contact the Hot Springs County Attorney’s Office. If it is after hours, contact the dispatch office to get ahold of someone with the program. Baldes said it’s not a typical “8 to 5” program and someone might need something in the middle of the night.