Court Advocacy
Testifying in court can be a stressful experience for anyone. A survivor of a crime’s role in criminal prosecution of the defendant is to relate details of the crime to the best of his/her ability.
Advocates provide:
- Objective and knowledgeable information about the court process
- Information about Survivor’s Rights
- Support and empowerment for survivors to chose their own options and make decisions
- Advocacy – communication as a liaison within the system
- Assistance dealing with survivor’s feelings as a result of the crime
Advocates help survivors understand basic information about the courts, criminal prosecutions, and the role of a survivor/witness.
What is Advocacy?
- Essentially advocacy is to act on behalf of another, to improve communication and understanding.
- Advocates facilitate the provision of services or other forms of assistance.
- Effective advocacy requires the ability to identify which components of a complex system must be influenced in any given situation to create change.
- Advocacy includes interaction with other players in the system and can be strengthened by forming alliances with several players in order to work toward a common goal.
- The goal of an advocate is to being about changes, which will gain survivors greater access to justice.
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