Our mission is to advocate for crime victims, preserve public safety, and seek justice for all.

This week is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a recognition of those impacted by crime and a time to inform the public about victims' rights, protections and services available in their communities.

In Lancaster County, there are so many hard-working people, offices and agencies committed to providing support to victims and giving them a voice in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

The District Attorney’s Office has a team of victim/witness advocates devoted to those goals.

Last year, our advocates served 3,670 new victims, either by phone or in-person contact. Often, that contact lasts beyond a single interaction.

Our Victim Witness Services team has been available throughout the COVID-19 emergency, although in-person contact has been limited in accordance with distancing guidelines.

Efforts to support victims go far beyond our office.

Some of our partners include:

- Domestic Violence Services and Domestic Violence Legal Clinic (programs of CAP)

- Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Center (a program of the YWCA)

- Lancaster County Children’s Alliance (a program of Lancaster General Penn Medicine)

- Lancaster County Children and Youth Services

- Lancaster County Office of Aging

- MidPenn Legal Services

- Advoz

In our office, we have a group of advocates working specifically on restitution matters: financial losses sustained by victims of crime.

Last year, defendants paid victims over $2.2 million in restitution for crimes committed in Lancaster County - one of the largest single-year sums in county history. Lancaster County Parole and Probation played a huge part in those collections.

We encourage you this week, and anytime, to watch the short videos on this page that illustrate the impact of crime on people, and how the service of victim advocates is so crucial.

A few brave survivors share their stories here: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeVicPA/

The President of the United States signed a proclamation of this week as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week: https://bit.ly/3asiWzO

Also, for the first time, the U.S. House of Representatives drafted a similar resolution: https://bit.ly/3eIc04G

MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright