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A day in the life of a Court Advoccate
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Mary Nelson Court Advocacy Coordinator
A day in the life of a Court Advocate is waiting for the turning point when an individual voices concerns about family violence. The Court Advocate’s most valuable assets are support, patience, the willingness to help, and guidance. For victims who are appearing in court for the first time or as many times as necessary, support can be rendered by the Court Advocate with her presence at the court house. They are not lawyers and do not take the place of a lawyer, so they do not voice their opinions, concerns, or instructions in the court room, however, they are present for support and outside of the court room can explain how the system works. Patience is important because domestic violence is a process. The victim needs time to get out of the abusive relationship. The victim cares about her abuser and many times needs financial support. Mary Nelson, Court Advocate for Lehigh County court house, Allentown, PA, says, “ Domestic Violence is a process, and it is not unusual for a victim to leave an abusive relationship temporarily six or seven times before ending that relationship.” By the advocate having a court list of scheduled hearings, they are there showing their willingness to help anyone who has not had the time to prepare. For example, the victim may not have a lawyer yet or the abuser may have not been served with PFA yet. This is where guidance comes in. The Court Advocate can explain the PFA hearing process, the kinds of relief available through the PFA, and other legal options such as custody and support. They can help with thinking of righteous alternatives to a situation. They also provide information on the services of Turning Point, and make other community referrals. Provide information about the criminal justice process if criminal charges have been, and accompaniment to any hearings or trials regarding those charges. They provide emotional support and empathic listening to the victim. They assist victims in filing for victim’s compensation if they have applicable expenses. And lastly, they assist in writing impact statements for sentencing or parole hearings.
Nelson has worked 16 years for Turning Point, a domestic abuse shelter. Ten years of that time has been devoted to Court Advocacy. A Court Advocate is at the court house every day. All advocates are at the court house on Tuesdays and Thursdays for final hearings in Lehigh County. It is recommended that a Court Advocate have a bachelor’s degree, but it is not required. Life experience is required. The Court Advocate goes through 45 hours of training mandated through PCADV, Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence, located in Harrisburg.
After renovations at the Lehigh County court house, the Court Advocate will have an office on the third floor of the building as well as an office in the Lehigh County shelter counseling center. Its location is kept confidential. After court representation, the Court Advocate has paperwork to complete and statistical information to gather at the shelter office. A Court Advocate attends Preliminary Hearings in magistrate offices. They answer telephone call and any questions that people have. “Much of the funding is through grants”, says Nelson, so time is spent meeting objectives away from the court house.
For more information regarding Domestic Violence, please see some of the websites listed below.
Source: Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, PA.
www.tplv.org
www.NDVH.org
www.loveisrespect.org
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