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Volunteers sought for domestic violence program
By Rhonda Moore
If you are starting 2009 with a resolution to seek a greater connection to your community, look no further. The district attorney’s office is seeking volunteers for its domestic violence Fast Track program, which provides aid to victims through their pivotal first day in court.
The county’s Fast Track program began in 1997 as a way to help meet the most immediate needs of victims of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes. Fast Track volunteers provide victim assistance the morning after an incident or arrest has occurred, said Debbie Lewis, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, domestic violence Fast Track coordinator.
Volunteers are trained to help explain the court process, safety planning and victims’ rights to victims who, in many cases, are having their first experience with the judicial system.
Volunteers receive 20 hours of formal training before they see their first client, but the training cannot teach one characteristic that must be brought to the table.
An effective Fast Track volunteer is born with a sense of empathy, Lewis said.
“Certainly we can teach the fundamentals and basics of how to talk to people and present the information,” she said. “What’s difficult is you can’t teach compassion; you either have it or you don’t.”
Three-year volunteer and Castle Rock resident Rose Cardona agrees. Cardona began as a Fast Track volunteer after 30 years as a paralegal.
Cardona sees her Fast Track duties as a way to help victims get through the day as quickly as painlessly as possible. Many arrive in an emotional state, embarrassed and in disbelief as they are walked and talked through their day in court, she said.
Cardona devotes herself to ensure they understand the vast amount of information before them and leave equipped to face the days that follow.
A bilingual volunteer, Cardona recalls her most rewarding day with Fast Track as the day she helped a non-English-speaking mother of two. The woman arrived with nothing more than the clothes on her back and left with sufficient contacts to gather food and clothing for herself and her children.
Fast Track is funded by grants to provide training for a staff that meets with victims to get their perspective of the offense, provide referrals to community resources and get their input on the outcome of the case, terms of the protection order and impact on the family.
In many cases victims are referred to local resources available at the Douglas County Women’s Crisis and Family Outreach Center and the Douglas/Elbert Task Force, two of the community’s most pro-active domestic violence resources.
Volunteers are asked to work one morning a week and are trained to review police reports and witness statements from the previous night to prepare for the morning’s court session. They are often the district attorney’s office’s first contact with a victim and accompany the victim from the beginning to the end of the morning’s court procedure.
A Fast Track volunteer ensures the victim’s questions are answered and that the victim has the information to make contact with appropriate support services before the day is done.
With a case load that since 2006 averages around 500 domestic violence cases each year, Fast Track volunteers make contact with more than 90 percent of the victims the business day following the arrest, Lewis said.
Lewis works with a staff of eight volunteers and hopes to at least double that number to most effectively meet the demands of Douglas County’s case load.
Cardona maintains that, while her legal experience taught her the ins and outs of the judicial system, it is a trait that can’t be taught in a classroom that makes a person best suited for Fast Track.
“You have to have a heart for people and you’ll know that immediately,” she said. “Most people who volunteer do it because they want to. There’s no monetary compensation here - the reward is in knowing you helped someone and the compassion comes from within.”
No experience is necessary to become a Fast Track volunteer. To find out how to join the Fast Track volunteer team, call Lewis at 303-734-5260.
Misdemeanor domestic violence cases filed by Douglas County law enforcement and referred to the Fast Track program.
2008 - 468 cases, 93 percent of victims contact by Fast Track the following business day.
2007 – 478 cases, 91 percent contacted.
2006 – 511 cases, 93 percent contacted.
“Those cases where we are not able to reach the victim are rescheduled so more outreach attempts can be made,” Debbie Lewis, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, domestic violence Fast Track coordinator.
The county’s Fast Track program began in 1997 as a way to help meet the most immediate needs of victims of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes. Fast Track volunteers provide victim assistance the morning after an incident or arrest has occurred, said Debbie Lewis, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, domestic violence Fast Track coordinator.
Volunteers are trained to help explain the court process, safety planning and victims’ rights to victims who, in many cases, are having their first experience with the judicial system.
Volunteers receive 20 hours of formal training before they see their first client, but the training cannot teach one characteristic that must be brought to the table.
An effective Fast Track volunteer is born with a sense of empathy, Lewis said.
“Certainly we can teach the fundamentals and basics of how to talk to people and present the information,” she said. “What’s difficult is you can’t teach compassion; you either have it or you don’t.”
Three-year volunteer and Castle Rock resident Rose Cardona agrees. Cardona began as a Fast Track volunteer after 30 years as a paralegal.
Cardona sees her Fast Track duties as a way to help victims get through the day as quickly as painlessly as possible. Many arrive in an emotional state, embarrassed and in disbelief as they are walked and talked through their day in court, she said.
Cardona devotes herself to ensure they understand the vast amount of information before them and leave equipped to face the days that follow.
A bilingual volunteer, Cardona recalls her most rewarding day with Fast Track as the day she helped a non-English-speaking mother of two. The woman arrived with nothing more than the clothes on her back and left with sufficient contacts to gather food and clothing for herself and her children.
Fast Track is funded by grants to provide training for a staff that meets with victims to get their perspective of the offense, provide referrals to community resources and get their input on the outcome of the case, terms of the protection order and impact on the family.
In many cases victims are referred to local resources available at the Douglas County Women’s Crisis and Family Outreach Center and the Douglas/Elbert Task Force, two of the community’s most pro-active domestic violence resources.
Volunteers are asked to work one morning a week and are trained to review police reports and witness statements from the previous night to prepare for the morning’s court session. They are often the district attorney’s office’s first contact with a victim and accompany the victim from the beginning to the end of the morning’s court procedure.
A Fast Track volunteer ensures the victim’s questions are answered and that the victim has the information to make contact with appropriate support services before the day is done.
With a case load that since 2006 averages around 500 domestic violence cases each year, Fast Track volunteers make contact with more than 90 percent of the victims the business day following the arrest, Lewis said.
Lewis works with a staff of eight volunteers and hopes to at least double that number to most effectively meet the demands of Douglas County’s case load.
Cardona maintains that, while her legal experience taught her the ins and outs of the judicial system, it is a trait that can’t be taught in a classroom that makes a person best suited for Fast Track.
“You have to have a heart for people and you’ll know that immediately,” she said. “Most people who volunteer do it because they want to. There’s no monetary compensation here - the reward is in knowing you helped someone and the compassion comes from within.”
No experience is necessary to become a Fast Track volunteer. To find out how to join the Fast Track volunteer team, call Lewis at 303-734-5260.
Misdemeanor domestic violence cases filed by Douglas County law enforcement and referred to the Fast Track program.
2008 - 468 cases, 93 percent of victims contact by Fast Track the following business day.
2007 – 478 cases, 91 percent contacted.
2006 – 511 cases, 93 percent contacted.
“Those cases where we are not able to reach the victim are rescheduled so more outreach attempts can be made,” Debbie Lewis, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, domestic violence Fast Track coordinator.
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