Victim Advocacy

The Office of Victim Services (OVS) has compassionate and caring victim services advocates at courthouses throughout the state and at the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BOPP) to help victims of:

"Our family could not have survived the court system without the Victim Services program. The information and guidance we have received for the past three years has been phenomenal. We are very fortunate to have an awesome victim advocate now and going forward."

personal injury crimes and their family members;
family members of homicide victims; and
persons who need help filing a civil protection order.

For non-personal injury crimes, please call the State’s Attorney’s Office in the court where the case is being heard.

OVS victim services advocates help victims by:

explaining the criminal justice process;
giving information about the CT Constitution Victim Rights and how to exercise those rights;
giving updates on the criminal case;
going to court and BOPP hearings with victims and advocating for their rights;
explaining how to write a victim impact statement and may help victims with reading the statement;
helping with requests for restitution and victim compensation; and
providing referrals to community and state social service agencies.

To find contact information for an OVS victim services advocate, please click on Contact an OVS Victim Services Advocate.

OVS also gives funding to several non-profit agencies to provide community victim advocates for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, homicide, and drunk drivers at the Geographical Area (GA) courts:

Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence has advocates in the Family Violence Intervention Unit in each Geographical Area court.
Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence (formerly CONNSACS) has advocates working within the Court Support Services Division Intensive Sex Offender Supervision Units.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving has advocates that go to court with victims and family members of drunk driving crashes.
Survivors of Homicide has an advocate and volunteers that help family members of homicide victims during court hearings.

For more information about OVS victim services advocates and the community advocates funded by OVS, please call the OVS Helpline at 1-800-822-8428.

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