Victim Advocate 

Our address:
641 West 3rd Street
PO Box 699
Salida, CO 81201

Office: 719-530-5732
24-Hour Assistance: 719-539-2596
Victim Advocate Coordinator: Janet Veltri
email: jveltri@chaffeesheriff.org

As a victim of a crime you may have experienced, injury, loss, confusion, and a disruption of your life. Feelings of shock, disbelief, fear, vulnerability, anger, and frustration may result. Having information and an understanding about the criminal justice system may be helpful to you at this time.

A victims advocate is available 24 hours a day to ensure that victims receive immediate attention, support, comfort, and appropriate referrals.  Colorado laws and our state’s Constitution guarantee rights to the victims of the crimes listed below. If the victim is deceased or incapacitated, these rights are guaranteed to the victim’s spouse, parent(s), children, sibling(s), grandparent(s), significant other, or other lawful representative.

• • • • Murder – First and Second Degree
      • Manslaughter
      • Criminally negligent homicide and vehicular homicide
      • Assaults – Vehicular, First, Second, and Third Degree
      • Menacing
      • Kidnapping – First and Second Degree
      • Sexual Assault – First, Second, and Third Degree, Sexual Assault on a Child by one in a position of trust, Sexual Assault on Client by a psychotherapist
      • Robbery
      • Incest / Aggravated Incest
      • Child Abuse
      • Sexual Exploitation of Children
      • Crimes Against At-Risk Adults
      • Crimes involving Domestic Violence
  • FOR A FULL AND COMPLETE LIST OF YOUR RIGHTS GO TO:  https://dcj.colorado.gov

Victims of the above listed crimes have the right:

• • • • To be treated with fairness, respect and dignity;
      • To be informed of and present for all “critical stages” of the criminal justice process;
      • To be free from intimidation, harassment, or abuse, and the right to be informed about what steps can be taken if there is any intimidation or harassment by a person accused or convicted of the crime or anyone acting on the person’s behalf;
      • To be present and heard regarding bond reduction, continuances, acceptance of plea negotiations, case disposition, sentencing, or modification of sentence;
      • To consult with the district attorney prior to any disposition of the case or before the case goes to trial and to be informed of the final disposition of the case;
      • To be informed of the status of the case and any scheduling changes or cancellations, if known in advance;
      • To prepare a Victim Impact Statement and to be present and/or heard at sentencing;
      • To have restitution ordered and to be informed of the right to pursue a civil judgment against the person convicted of the crime;
      • To a prompt return of the victim’s property when no longer needed as evidence;
      • To be informed of the availability of financial assistance and community services;
      • To be given appropriate employer intercession services regarding court appearances and meetings with criminal justice officials;
      • To be assured that in any criminal proceeding the court, the prosecutor, and other law enforcement officials will take appropriate action to achieve a swift and fair resolution of the proceedings;
      • Whenever practicable, to have a safe, secure waiting area during court proceedings;
      • Upon request, to be informed when a person accused or convicted of the crime is released from custody, is paroled, escapes or absconds from probation or parole;
      • Upon written request, to be informed of and heard at any reconsideration of sentence, parole hearing, or commutation of sentence;
      • Upon written request, to be informed when a person convicted of a crime against the victim is placed in or transferred to a less secure correctional facility or program or is permanently or conditionally transferred or released from any state hospital;
      • To view all or a portion of the presentence report of the probation department at the discretion of the District Attorney;
      • To be informed of the results of any court-ordered HIV testing;
      • To be informed of any rights which the victim has pursuant to the Constitution of the United States or the State of Colorado; and
      • To be informed of the process for enforcing compliance with the Victim Rights Act.

FOR A FULL AND COMPLETE LIST OF YOUR RIGHTS GO TO: https://dcj.colorado.gov

A victims advocate is available to assist you at each critical stage of the criminal justice process, from the moment you report the crime, throughout the court process, and even during probation or parole hearings of the offender.

For more information about these services, contact our victim advocate coordinator at the address or phone number listed above.

Victims of crime often need financial assistance as a result of the crime. A victim may apply for compensation for costs related to medical expenses; lost employment; mental health treatment; burial expenses; the loss of medically necessary devices such as eyeglasses or hearing aides; the loss of support to dependents; and damage to home security devices such as doors, windows, and locks. Each judicial district has a Victim Compensation Fund, and persons convicted of a crime pay into this fund.

Contact the District Attorney’s Office for information on how to apply for Victim Compensation.

Office of the District Attorney
11th Judicial District
Canon City, CO
(719) 275-0606

VINE is a toll-free, anonymous, automated telephone service that provides victims of crime and the public two important features: information and notification.

INFORMATION: For custody information, call VINE and follow the instructions.  VINE will quickly tell you whether the offender is still in custody, and will also provide the name of the facility where the offender is in custody.  Anyone can call VINE to check on an offender’s custody status.  Live operator assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

NOTIFICATION:  You can choose to register for automated notification of changes that occur in an offender’s custody status.  To register, simply enter the telephone number, including area code, where you want to be reached.  You will then be asked to enter a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to use during the notification to confirm that the message was received.

1-888-263-8463                           www.vinelink.com                              www.csoc.org