(a) Comprehensive services shall include all of the following primary services:
(1) Crisis intervention, providing timely and comprehensive responses to the individual needs of victims.
(2) Emergency assistance, directly or indirectly providing food, housing, clothing, and, when necessary, cash.
(3) Resource and referral counseling to agencies within the community which are appropriate to meet the victim’s needs.
(4) Direct counseling of the victim on problems resulting from the crime.
(5) Assistance in the processing, filing, and verifying of claims filed by victims of crime pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 13959) of Part 4 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(6) Assistance in obtaining the return of a victim’s property held as evidence by law enforcement agencies, if requested.
(7) Orientation to the criminal justice system.
(8) Court escort.
(9) Presentations to and training of criminal justice system agencies.
(10) Public presentations and publicity.
(11) Monitoring appropriate court cases to keep victims and witnesses apprised of the progress and outcome of their case.
(12) Notification to friends, relatives, and employers of the occurrence of the crime and the victim’s condition, upon request of the victim.
(13) Notification to the employer of the victim or witness, if requested by the victim or witness, informing the employer that the employee was a victim of or witness to a crime and asking the employer to minimize any loss of pay or other benefits which may result because of the crime or the employee’s participation in the criminal justice system.
(14) Upon request of the victim, assisting in obtaining restitution for the victim, in ascertaining the victim’s economic loss, and in providing the probation department, district attorney, and court with information relevant to his or her losses prior to the imposition of sentence.
(b) Comprehensive services may include the following optional services, if their provision does not preclude the efficient provision of primary services:
(1) Employer intervention.
(2) Creditor intervention.
(3) Child care.
(4) Notification to witnesses of any change in the court calendar.
(5) Funeral arrangements.
(6) Crime prevention information.
(7) Witness protection, including arranging for law enforcement protection or relocating witnesses in new residences.
(8) Assistance in obtaining temporary restraining orders.
(9) Transportation.
(10) Provision of a waiting area during court proceedings separate from defendants and families and friends of defendants.
(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 629, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1997.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018