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OVS
Director Named to National Advisory Board
Linda J. Cimino, director of
the Connecticut Judicial Branch’s Office of Victim Services, has been
selected to serve on an advisory board that is part of a national
project to enhance the training of judges and court personnel in the
area of victims’ rights and services.
Ms. Cimino is one of only
two crime victim advocates who have been appointed to the 25-member
panel, which is part of the four-year Judicial Education Project
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of
Crime.
"I am extremely proud of
Linda and view this appointment as evidence of Connecticut’s commitment
to victims’ rights," Chief Court Administrator Joseph H. Pellegrino
said. "For some time, the Branch has devoted resources to ongoing
educational efforts, so that our judges and court staff are aware of
their responsibilities regarding victims’ rights and services. The work
of the advisory board will provide us with new ideas on how to build
upon that commitment."
The advisory board includes
judges, victim assistance professionals, crime victims, court
administrators, probation officials, and representatives of other
justice agencies. Project co-sponsors include the Washington D.C.-based
nonprofit organization, Justice Solutions Inc., the National Center for
State Courts, and the American Probation and Parole Association, with
support from the American Judges Association, the National Association
for Court Management, and the National Center of State Judicial
Educators. Members of the advisory panel will provide guidance
throughout the project, which, among other things, will develop a
curriculum on victimization issues to train judges and court personnel;
conduct and evaluate training programs; and develop a model victims’
rights benchbook for judges.
"The Judicial Education
Project is the first national-scope effort to sensitize criminal and
juvenile justice court personnel, including judges, administrators and
probation staff, to crime victims’ issues and statutory rights,"
according to project Director David Beatty of Justice Solutions Inc. "We
view Ms. Cimino’s participation in this important project as a key to
its success."
"I am honored to serve on
this important advisory board with so many respected professionals from
the judiciary, courts, and probation agencies from across the nation."
Ms. Cimino said.
Ms. Cimino has been head of
OVS since January 2000. Prior to that, she worked in the field of
domestic violence for 12 years – first, as executive director of
Meriden-Wallingford Chrysalis for seven years, and then as executive
director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence for five
years. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from
Rensselaer Polytechnic and serves as an adjunct lecturer at the
University of New Haven, where she teaches a course in victimology.
For further information,
please contact Rhonda Stearley-Hebert, manager of communications, at
860-757-2270. |
