The Nebraska Division of Parole Supervision (DPS) has been working closely with state and federal agencies over the last year to evaluate best practices for providing services to victims and survivors of crime. One resource that has been pivotal in our process to seek best practices is the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). Through building this relationship with NIC, DPS was introduced to the National Association of Victim Assistance in Corrections (NAVAC), a non-profit organization focusing on post-conviction victim advocacy and victim-informed program development.
During the week of September 12, 2022, NAVAC held its 15th annual conference in Manchester, New Hampshire, where DPS’s Victim Specialist Kelsey and Data Analyst Alix were fortunate enough to attend. Presentations included victim-offender dialogues, victim rights, restitution, exonerations, notifications, crisis intervention, tips for self-care, police comfort dogs, and more. Attendees discussed current practices within their program and collaborated with one another to talk about future goals of advocacy across the country. The attendees also discussed effective strategies for expanding post-conviction victim services and targeting various nation-wide systemic issues that could use improvement. DPS is grateful for the expertise shared by the NAVAC board members and attendees as we continue to build our victim services unit; we look forward to continuing to grow our network of resources and partnership opportunities in the future.
The primary goal of DPS victim services is to ensure crime victims and survivors are supported and heard throughout the parole process.
For more information, please visit: https://parole.nebraska.gov/victim-rights
Pictured: Liberty with Concord, NH Police Department; Flossy with the South Carolina Department of Corrections Division of Victim Services