“Without Them We Would Be Lost”: Detective Experiences and Perceptions of Violent Crime Victim Advocates

Criminal justice policy is continually evolving, and several recent efforts seek to align justice with victim well-being. Evidence-based approaches, including trauma-informed and victim-centered frameworks, are at the forefront of these discussions. As experts in these practices, victim advocates are poised to be a force for good in the criminal justice system; however, prior victim advocacy research and practice has overwhelmingly been limited to certain victims, crime types, and cases being adjudicated. To understand law enforcement experiences and perceptions of working with victim advocates in violent crime contexts, such as homicide and robbery, 48 detectives in the Violent Crimes Division of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were surveyed. Detectives found that victim advocates (a) brought victim-centeredness to their cases, (b) aided their investigations, and (c) were of great value. The policy implications and areas of future research of this study are discussed from this research.