Victim/ Witness Assistance

Victims’ Rights

As a result of recent additions to the Crime Victims' Rights Act, victims are receiving increases in compensation and the right to be notified and heard.  The Wrightsville Beach Police Department has designed a brochure for victims that includes a list of agencies, phone numbers and services. These services range from counseling to financial assistance.  Police officers are responsible for ensuring that victims receive this information.

As required by the Crime Victims' Rights Act, the Victim Assistance Coordinator sends information regarding victims in domestic violence cases to the New Hanover County District Attorney's Office. For emergencies, call 911.

State Resources

North Carolina Victim Assistance Network
1-800-348-5068
www.nc-van.org
Mission: Our purpose for existing is to provide support and information for all crime victims across our state and to advocate for their fair treatment.

NC Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification System (NC SAVAN)
1-877-627-2826
NCSAVAN
NC SAVAN, is a criminal justice information-sharing system that supports automated victim notification.  NC SAVAN operates a 24-hour toll-free automated offender information and notification service.  Individuals may call the toll-free number, 877-NC SAVAN, (877) 627-2826, to learn about an offender's status, to register for offender notification or to learn about victim assistance resources in their area.

North Carolina Coalition against Sexual Assault
1-888-737-2272
www.nccasa.org
Mission: The North Carolina Coalition against Sexual Assault is an inclusive, statewide alliance working to end sexual violence through education, advocacy, and legislation.

Crime Victim’s Compensation Services
1-800-826-6200
https://www.ncdps.gov/DPS-Services/Victim-Services/Crime-Victim-Compensation
Victims Compensation Services reimburses citizens who suffer medical expenses and lost wages as a result of being an innocent victim of a crime committed in North Carolina. Victims of rape, assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence and drunk driving, as well as the families of homicide victims, are eligible to apply for financial help.

NC Coalition against Domestic Violence
1-888-997-9124
www.nccadv.org
Mission: The mission of NCCADV is to provide the membership and allied professionals with the tools necessary to build a society that is dedicated to ending violence against women through support, education and awareness.

National Resources

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE or 1-800-787-3224 (TDD)
www.thehotline.org
The mission of The Hotline is to answer the call to shift power back to those affected by relationship abuse.

Resource Center on Child Protection and Custody
1-800-527-3223
www.rcdvcpc.org
The Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody is a part of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. The Resource Center provides training and technical assistance to professionals seeking to improve outcomes on child protection cases that involve domestic violence, while engaging in policy reform in those areas.

Battered Woman’s Justice Project
1-800-903-0111
http://www.bwjp.org
Mission: BWJP promotes systemic change within the civil and criminal justice systems to ensure an effective and just response to victims and perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV), and the children exposed to this violence.

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
1-800-537-2238
www.nrcdv.org
Mission: NRCDV’s mission is to strengthen and transform efforts to end domestic violence.

National Sexual Violence Resources Center
717-909-0710
www.nsvrc.org
Mission: The NSVRC’s Mission is to provide leadership in preventing and responding to sexual violence through collaboration, sharing and creating resources, and promoting research.

National Human Trafficking Resource Center
1-888-373-7888
http://traffickingresourcecenter.org
Mission: The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a national anti-trafficking hotline serving victims and survivors of human trafficking and the anti-trafficking community in the United States. The toll-free hotline is available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year in more than 200 languages.

Steps to getting a Domestic Violence Protection Order

STEP 1
Go to the Civil Clerk of Court on the 2nd floor of the New Hanover County Courthouse and ask for a form called COMPLAINT AND MOTION FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTIVE ORDER.  Fill out the form carefully. You will be the plaintiff (the person making the complaint), and the person you have/had a personal relationship with will be the defendant (the person accused of abuse). Write their full name and home and work addresses in the box called “Name and Address of Defendant.” Give a phone number if possible. After you fill out the form, sign it in front of a notary public or court clerk.

STEP 2
Fill out the top part of the CIVIL SUMMONS. Write your name and a safe mailing address and phone number where you can be reached (if you are staying at a shelter or other secret place, do not write the actual street address). Write the defendant’s name, home and work addresses, and phone number, if possible. Write directions on the summons if the defendant’s address is hard to find.

STEP 3
File the Complaint with the Clerk of Court. Fill out the Complaint and Motion and file with the Clerk of Court.

STEP 4
Ask the clerk for the date and time of your hearing. If you asked for an ex parte order in your Complaint and Motion let the clerk know this. Whether or not you asked for an ex parte order, you will have a hearing for a Domestic Violence Protective Order. This hearing should be held within a week to ten days.

For more information on DVPO's, you can refer to the following Web sites:
Women's Law (NC)
Instructions for Domestic Violence Forms (NC Courts)

A Safety Plan

A "safety plan" is a plan that you design to avoid being hurt. Below are some things to consider gathering or arranging ahead of time:

• Fifty dollars ($50) in cash or more available (hidden).
• A small bag with extra clothes for you (and children, if applicable).
• Extra keys for house and car.
• Any important papers (social security card, checkbook, insurance cards etc.).
• Important phone numbers, including ones like Interact (919-828-7740) and the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE).
• Any special medications for you (and children, if applicable).
• A place you can go (keep it secret).