The Catoosa County Board of Commissioners accepted a federal grant Jan. 17 that will enable the recently formed state court to fund a victims/witness coordinator to help better serve the victims and witnesses who go through Catoosa’s state court.
Doug Woodruff, Catoosa’s solicitor general, said the future hire will help make the state court much more efficient. Having a coordinator for victims and witnesses is “very much in line with other counties,” he said. The state of Georgia has a Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights that grants special rights to the victims of crimes in the state, and mandates that every court adheres to it.
Woodruff and his administrative assistant are currently the only two employees in the solicitor general’s office, so satisfying those requirements has taken up much of their time, he said.
“We’re still working on our case backlog, and this will allow us to shift our focus to case preparation,” Woodruff explained.
The grant is an 80/20 match, meaning 80 percent will come from federal funds and the other 20 percent will come from the county. However, the VOCA grant has special payment options that will enable the grant to be budget-neutral, Woodruff said. Half of the county’s portion will come from items already budgeted, and the other half will come from volunteer hours dedicated to the victim/witness program.
With the acceptance of the grant, the solicitor general’s office will now be able to advertise the position’s availability. Woodruff said he hopes to have the position filled by the end of February.
While he said there were potential candidates for the already advertised administrative assistant position who could fill the victim/witness coordinator position well, he had no one in mind for the new opening.
The major duties for the victim/witness coordinator will be informing and assisting people of the special rights they are afforded under the Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights. Woodruff gave examples including informing domestic violence victims when there is a hearing involving their case, making them aware of bond hearings about their perpetrator’s release, giving them input into the plea process and making them aware of the state funds available to victims for injuries or damages.