To: Board of Supervisors
From: Diana Becton, District Attorney
Report Title: Add one full time Victim and Witness Assistance Program Supervisor and cancel one vacant part time Victim/Witness Assistance Program Specialist and cancel one vacant part time Clerk-Senior Level
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT Position Adjustment Resolution No. 26229 to add one (1) full-time Victim and Witness Assistance Program Supervisor and Mass Victimization Advocate (2KHB) (represented) at salary plan and grade ZA5 1450 ($6,278.17- $7,631.15) and cancel one (1) vacant part-time (20/40) Victim and Witness Assistance Program Specialist (65SA) (represented) position, #15308, at salary plan and grade QV5 1191 ($4,857.13 - $5,903.87) in the District Attorney's Office.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this request will result in a net salary and benefit cost increase of approximately $25,943 for the current fiscal year, which the Department will offset by reducing temporary salary expenditures to stay within its approved budget. In future years, the additional cost of adding the Supervisor position will be 100% funded by multiple grants allocated to the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit.
BACKGROUND:
The District Attorney’s Office provides constitutionally and statutorily mandated services to victims and witnesses of crime through advocacy and support by the Victim/Witness (V/W) Assistance Unit. The V/W Unit gives a voice to victims in the criminal justice system at all stages of the court proceedings. The Unit provides crisis intervention, orientation to the criminal justice system and assists with restitution requests on behalf of victims and the Victims Compensation Fund.
The Victim/Witness Assistance Unit currently has one Program Manager, one Supervisor and Mass Victimization Advocate, and nineteen Program Specialists. The entire V/W Unit is almost 100% funded by state grants. The demanding responsibilities of grant application and administration fall on the Program Manager. Due to grant requirements, the existing Supervisor and Mass Victimization Advocates focuses their responsibilities on providing advocacy and coordination services for incidents of mass victimization, maintaining a caseload of complex and high-profile cases, and filling in for the Program Manager as needed. The existing Supervisor and Mass Victimization Advocate position has limited capacity to provide program supervision and oversight, and in the event they are unavailable, there is no back up to fill in for the Program Manager if needed. In addition, due to the implementations of the Racial Justice Act (RJA) and the Neighborhood Restorative Justice Partnership Program (NRP), more responsibilities and demands have been placed on the Unit to provide additional advocacy and support to victims and greater coordination efforts with community and law enforcement partners. Therefore, in order to provide the necessary level of oversight, supervision, and coordination for the Victim/Witness Assistance Program and to provide much needed guidance to advocates for RJA and NRP cases, the Department requests to add a Victim and Witness Assistance Program Supervisor and Mass Victimization Advocate.
To offset the fiscal impact of adding a supervisor position, the Department will cancel a vacant part time Victim/Witness Assistance Program Specialist position and not backfill behind a temporary Victim/Witness Assistance Program Specialist.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The Department will not be able to increase the level of oversight and supervision for the Victim/Witness Assistance Program or to provide additional guidance to staff when handling Racial Justice Act related cases within the Unit.