Defense Initiated Victim Outreach: A Pilot in Two States

The Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. will support the Defense Initiated Victim Outreach (DIVO) program which incorporates victims' needs and concerns in the process and outcome of capital proceedings by allowing them access to the defense as well as the prosecution. Because it may be difficult for victims to interact directly with defense attorneys, a specially trained victim outreach specialist, working with the defense, will offer victims a bridge to the defense team. The Georgia State University Research Foundation will conduct trainings for capital defense teams regarding effective incorporation of DIVO into their cases. They will also conduct 40-hour trainings of groups of individuals who will act as supervised victim outreach specialists and support presentations about DIVO to prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, and law school students and faculty in each state. Additionally, they will survey a sample of victim-survivors regarding their satisfaction with the criminal justice system. A manual for implementing DIVO at the state level will be produced for use in additional states.

NCA/NCF