1.3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be offered for this training.

To be an advocate for victims' rights, you must first know what the rights are. This 2-day training provides a comprehensive overview of crime victims' rights and the advocate's role in enforcing those rights. In this interactive training you will analyze a hypothetical case scenario and actively explore how victims' rights can be exercised during pretrial proceedings, during trial, and in relation to sentencing, parole, and other posttrial proceedings. Participants will develop an individual action plan for applying the new information to their own organizations so that victims will better understand their legal rights and the actions they can take to enforce those rights.

Active participation in each of the following training modules will help you accomplish these specific learning objectives:

• Highlights from the History of Victims' Rights Enforcement in the United States
  • Identify critical moments in the emergence of the crime victims' rights enforcement movement.
  • Describe the national efforts toward enforcement, including the work of the 10 pro bono legal clinics.
  • Explain two critical legal cases on enforcement: Linda R.S. v. Richard D. and United States v. McVeigh.
• Analyze and Apply the Definition of “Victim”
  • Explain differences in legal definitions of “victim,” using constitutional and statutory examples.
  • Explain how rights attach to “victim” as a status term.
  • Discuss the importance of victims fitting within the scope of the legal definition of “victim” to enforce their rights.
• Twelve Common Rights for Victims
  • Describe 12 common victims' rights.
• Legal Sources of Victims' Rights
  • Identify common legal sources of victims' rights.
  • Explain the common hierarchical relationship among these legal sources (constitutional provisions, statutes, and rules).
  • Identify the pyramids of courts authority.
  • Explain the implications of the hierarchy and pyramid for victims' rights.
• Key Points in Evaluating a Jurisdiction's Laws
  • Identify key elements of laws that effect enforceability.
  • Analyze an individual jurisdiction's laws to identify critical language differentiation.
• Standing and Enforcement
  • Explain key concepts pertaining to standing and enforcement.
  • Discuss common hurdles as they relate to standing and enforcement.
  • Identify how to overcome the common hurdles as they relate to standing and enforcement.
• Victim Advocate's Role and Core Rights during Pretrial, Trial, and Posttrial
  • Explain how victims' rights can be exercised during pretrial proceedings.
  • Explain how victims' rights can be exercised during trial.
  • Explain how victims' rights can be exercised as they relate to sentencing, parole, and other posttrial proceedings.
  • Demonstrate practical skills for working with a crime victim during pretrial, trial, and posttrial proceedings.
• Ethical Considerations When Working With a Victim
  • Recognize the underlying values of the victim assistance code of ethics.
  • Use a standard decisionmaking process when faced with an ethical dilemma.
  • Apply acquired knowledge and skills to analyzing a hypothetical case scenario.
• Action Plan
  • Develop an individual action plan for applying new information and skills to your own organization.