On February 15th, NCVLI and the National Alliance of Victims’ Rights Attorneys (NAVRA) launched the 2012 Training Series with the webinar presentation “Protecting Victims from Re-Victimization: Securing Testimonial Accommodations.”  The webinar drew 44 participants - 13 were attorneys and 27 were advocates or social workers. A recording and printouts of the PowerPoint presentation can be found here.

The presentation focused on how to better secure testimonial accommodations not just for child victims, about which there is much case and statutory law, but also for adult victims.  Securing testimonial accommodations for adult victims in the form of allowing the adult victim to testify outside the presence of the defendant, or in the form of allowing a support person or some other accommodation, is a cutting edge area of the law. 

NCVLI attorneys Amy Liu and Rebecca Khalil gave legal background outlining the bases for allowing victims to secure accommodations, and also gave practical pointers on how the participants could seek accommodations for their clients.  The presenters urged participants to consider whether their clients - be they children or adults - would benefit from accommodations and to seek accommodations when appropriate.   A lively question and answer period followed, which was moderated by NCVLI attorney Ali Wilkinson.

Responses from attendees were uniformly positive, with 100% stating that they better understood Constitutional requirements for securing testimonial accommodations following the webinar. In addition, over 95% stated that they felt better equipped to seek accommodations for both child and adult victims.

The PowerPoint presentation and accompanying recording of the training are now available on the NAVRA website. With an Enhanced NAVRA Membership, NAVRA Members have access to these and other past trainings on a wide variety of victims’ rights issues through NAVRA’s Searchable Trainings Database. Click on the “Join” tab above to learn more.

To learn more about the 2012 NCVLI/NAVRA Training Series, Enhancing Justice for Crime Victims, click here.