Synthesizing Information and Criminal Justice: Victims Advocate
Application: Synthesizing Information and Criminal Justice
Your loved one needs treatment for a medical condition. Are you more likely to utilize a medical protocol
described in a leading medical journal, or a product from an infomercial? Even during the process of
tracking down resources on a particular topic you may evaluate resources with varying levels of quality.
Once you find good resources, you also need to get to the point, by synthesizing information, extracting
only the key points of each source without losing any of the key information. Tracking down information
and summarizing it might be frustrating at first, but with practice it becomes easier and constitutes a
valuable tool that can be used in virtually every aspect of the criminal justice system.
For this Assignment, consider resources used in criminal justice. In addition, focus on how to paraphrase
from a resource without plagiarizing. Examine the different types of information sources in addition to
summarization resources that are available when you begin to research a particular topic. Select 5
interrelated resources that pertain to your area of interest in the field of criminal justice.
The Assignment (3 pages)
� Explain the area of criminal justice in which you are interested � THE WRITER CAN CHOOSE
BETWEEN VICTIM ADVOCATE OR JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER
� Provide a synthesis of the 5 resources you selected
� Be sure to use proper APA formatting
� Explain how you might use your resource synthesis in the area of Criminal Justice in which you are
interested
VICTIMS ADVOCATE 2
Synthesizing Information and Criminal Justice: Victim Advocate
Area of criminal justice: Victim Advocate
A victim advocate is a professional who assists victims in coping with the trauma and
stress that follows an abuse or crime. Usually, victims have to manage emotional, fiscal,
physical, and/or psychological stress and need expert care which entails listening to their
concerns and questions. In essence, a victims advocate offers assistance during the entire ordeal
of a victim. A victim’s advocate can do the following: (i) assist the victims in creating a safety
plan and get a place to go; (ii) provide emotional support to the victims on a one-on-one basis;
(iii) help victims to complete and submit applications for requesting victim’s compensation (The
National Center for Victims of Crime, 2015). (iv) Inform victims of crime and/or abuse about
their rights as well as what these victims can anticipate from the legal process. (v) Go together
with the victim to court hearing proceedings in addition to other legal proceedings. (vi) Contact
the victim if his or her assailant has escaped from detention center or has been paroled. All in all,
a victim advocate provides guidance and support to crime victims (The National Center for
Victims of Crime, 2015).
Synthesis of 5 resources
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Curtis, P. H., Mariano, W., Prieto, B., & Lundy, S. (2010). Victim advocates: Alissa
Blanton’s murder shows flaws in protection order decisions. Orlando Sentinel.
In this source, Curtis et al. (2010) report about a murder incidence that proves why judges
must never delay decisions relating to protective orders. They state that according to victim
advocates, rather than judges scheduling a later hearing, they should deny a protective order.
When a hearing is scheduled to a later date, an already horrified and frightened victim will be left
legally not protected for a period of two weeks. The victim’s alleged aggressor is not just given a
heads-up regarding his or her action to discontinue the relationship, but also time to carry on
with the behavior which made the victim to seek injunction in the first place (Curtis et al., 2010).
There have been reports in which victims have been battered and assaulted after their stalkers or
attackers were issued paperwork to appear in court. The authors say that advocate victims want
judges to either deny or to grant protective orders. If denied, the victim could change the request
and submit it again without the knowledge of the suspect. If it is granted, the suspect should be
sent a notice and the crime victim is protected legally (Curtis et al., 2010). This report comes
after a judge denied to give 23-year-old Alissa Blanton a protective order. Consequently, Roger
Troy, her attacker aged 61, killed her in a parking lot before shooting himself dead.
Powers, S. (2014). Help available for victims of sexual assault. Orlando Sentinel.
In this source, Powers (2014) reports that assistance is available for university rape
victims. This assistance is offered through off-campus and on-campus support programs and
counseling at the University of Central Florida. The article states that police and medical
assistance are available without delay through a call made to the number 911. A number of
sexual-assault rape-crisis nurse examiners are on call for rape victims in Osceola or Orange
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County. The University of Central Florida (UCF) has a victims’ services hotline which offer 24/7
services, including victim advocates (Powers, 2014).
Sampson, H. (2012). Victim advocates: public reporting of cruise crimes insufficient. Miami
Herald.
Sampson (2012) reported that in the year 2010, critics of the country’s cruise industry
touted a new security legislation as an important measure which they believed would improve
the safety of cruising and the transparency of onboard crime reporting. In 2012 however, the
author reports that advocates for victims of crime and abuse onboard cruise ships were unhappy
with an amendment of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act that had been made recently.
Prior to the change, the original version of this legislation stipulated that a website needs to be
maintained that shows the number of missing individuals and the suspected crimes recorded.
However, the amended version specifies that only the crimes which are not being investigated
any more by the FBI should be included (Sampson, 2012). It is notable that several crimes have
occurred in cruise ships that entail mainly people disappearing from them.
Rippel, A. C. (2008). Sheriff’s chaplain honored for work as victim’s advocate. Orlando
Sentinel.
In this source, Rippel (2008) report about an individual named Bob Whitworth, 65, who
was honored for his work as a victim advocate. They point that this man, who initially spent his
career piloting large aircrafts for Pan American World Airways, is currently helping crime
victims in Lake County, Florida to navigate the justice system. He also helps the victims with
their spiritual needs. As a victim’s advocate and Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain, this man
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has supported victims of crime in their desperate hours, and assisted educators to do their jobs
better. The National Sheriff’s Association named him the Chaplain of the year (Rippel, 2008).
Edwards, A. L. (2009). Victims advocate and dog get notice on national TV. Orlando
Sentinel.
This source states that Andrea Lockhart, the woman who founded a not-for-profit group
based in Polk County, Florida, which employs dogs in helping teenagers and kids victimized by
violent and sexual crimes would be featured to national television. The women featured in Fox
News Channel. Her non-profit is called Four Legged Advocates. She formed it for the purposes
of helping to comfort children who have been victimized as they navigate through the legal
system of Florida. She is a victim’s advocate and she has a trained dog that accompany kids and
teens to court appearances as well as interviews involving law enforcement. The purpose of the
dogs is basically to comfort and calm the kids as they talk about how they were victimized
(Edwards, 2009).
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References
Curtis, P. H., Mariano, W., Prieto, B., & Lundy, S. (2010). Victim advocates: Alissa Blanton’s
murder shows flaws in protection order decisions. Orlando Sentinel.
