Victim Witness Assistance acts as a liaison between the criminal justice system and victims and witnesses of crime. The Victim Witness Assistance program was founded in the 1970's and is a fundamental part of the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office. Each year, thousands of victims turn to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for assistance on all types of crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault, robbery and property crimes.

Victim advocates provide continuing support and information throughout a victim's experience with the court system. Victim advocates are available on all types of cases to answer questions and provide assistance with court appearances, restitution, victim impact statements, and other needs as victims and witnesses navigate through the court process. These individuals would likely be lost in a bureaucratic maze without the assistance and follow-up of the Victim Witness Assistance advocates.

This office had had an important part in the development of current domestic violence sevices available in Pierce County. Several advocates from this office are currently housed within the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center and offer victims of domestic violence on-site assistance with the court process as well as protection orders and safety planning. Our office has partnered with many other community agencies that provide victim services, such as the Sexual Assault Center, Child Advocacy Center, and the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, as well as many others. Building these partnerships has allowed advocates to provide victims with the most comprehensive services.

Our focus is to ease the anxiety of victims and witnesses as their cases progress through the court system and to provide them with the necessary resources to support them as they begin to recover from their experience.