The Office of Trial and Criminal Justice Process (OTCJP) is responsible for setting statewide policy that improves the experience of victims as they navigate the criminal justice process. As part of its mission, OTCJP identifies best practices and implements evidence-based strategies to ensure excellence and consistency in victim services across the State. In collaboration with statewide partners, prosecutors, victim witness advocates, law enforcement officers, and non-profit service providers, OTCJP seeks to improve the responsiveness and transparency of the criminal justice system for victims and foster the development of trauma-informed approaches by:

• enhancing services to better support victims as their case progresses;
• creating educational resources that help victims better understand the criminal justice system;
• facilitating more precise communication so victims know what to expect and how to prepare for the realities of the system;
• fostering warm hand-offs between service providers; and
• responding to the unique needs of victims whose perspectives have been historically unheard by expanding the breadth and diversity of services.

OTCJP provides advice to the State Office of Victim Witness Advocacy (SOVWA) within the Division of Criminal Justice, as well as the 21 County Prosecutors’ Offices of Victim Witness Advocacy (COVWA), and solicits input from SOVWA and COVWAs; provides guidance on new programs, policies, procedures, and projects, such as the State’s legislatively mandated Restorative Justice Project and the Post-Conviction Victim Services Project; and sets statewide policy on providing services for crime victims who do not engage with the criminal justice process, exploring ways to ramp up services for victims who are outside the criminal justice system.