Crime Victim Services

The Iowa Department of Corrections Victim Advisory Council newsletter, The Journey.

The Iowa Eighth Judicial District is committed to serving crime victims by offering a host of victim and restorative justice services and programming described below. If you have any questions or are interested in participating in any of these services, please contact Victim-Offender Services Coordinator, Chris Baker, at (641) 472-4242 Ext. 109. To view a comprehensive list of victim and community services in the counties we serve, please click here. To learn more about specific victim services, follow the links in the left column.

Community Accountability Boards: Local citizens from all walks of life comprise Community Accountability Boards in the district. They serve voluntarily to provide the community’s perspective in addressing crime. The purpose of the boards is to meet with offenders who are struggling to successfully complete parole or probation. While the board members provide support to offenders, they are also obligated to hold offenders accountable for their crimes. Community Accountability Boards typically meet on a monthly basis and receive referrals from the District’s probation officers. Currently, there are four Community Accountability Boards in the Eighth Judicial District. Two serve the Youthful Offender Programs in Burlington and Lee County, respectively. The remaining boards serve adult probationers and parolees in the Ottumwa and Burlington areas.

Victim Advocacy: The Iowa Eighth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services maintains an open-door policy in providing services to crime victims. Given the complexity of the criminal justice system, it can be difficult to anticipate all problems that crime victims might experience. Our policy is simple: tell us about the problem you are experiencing and we will try our hardest to resolve the situation. In the past we have assisted offenders with restitution issues, blocking unwanted phone calls from inmates, referrals to state and community resources, and accessing the criminal justice system.

Victim Impact Classes: Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) was instrumental in creating this curriculum for offenders. The class covers the expanse from property crime to homicide utilizing victim impact panels and a variety of interactive exercises to help offenders understand the full impact of crime on victims and the community at large. This class is taught in both community corrections and state penal institutions.

Victim Impact Panels: Some crime victims choose to actively participate in the criminal justice system by telling their stories directly to offenders in a safe environment. This can be done through a Victim Impact Class, in conjunction with the Sex Offender Program, or on an individual basis. For some victims, and survivors of sexual abuse, the opportunity to tell their stories can be one way in which they begin to regain control of their lives; others are interested in preventing future victimizations by sharing their experiences with offenders who do not fully understand or accept the impact of their criminal behaviors. Serving on a victim impact panels is not for everyone. Victims must be fully aware of the risks and benefits of participation. If interested, contact our victim-offender services coordinator.

Victim-Offender Intervention Sessions: Upon request, victims are provided the opportunity to meet face-to-face with offenders to discuss how their lives have been impacted by crime. Victims often have questions that only offenders can answer— questions such as “Why me?” For offenders the meetings provide an opportunity for face-to-face accountability, to understand the real impact of crime on their victims and to, perhaps, make amends. These meetings are conducted in the presence of a trained mediator who spends hours preparing the parties to meet. Victim-offender intervention sessions are not for everyone and should be entered into with caution and a full understanding of the inherent risks and benefits.

Related state and national links for crime victim services and resources: 5 7 click here.