LatinaLista — Being a crime victim can be the most helpless and lonely position a person can find themselves in. For the vast majority of crime victims, it is a new experience that creates a whole new range of emotions to be experienced and thrusts a person into a legal system most only know via television crime dramas.
It’s for those reasons that a new California-based non profit, The Crime Victims Assistance Network Foundation, or iCAN, was created.
Devoted to making it as easy as possible for crime victims to maneuver the legal system, “the iCAN Foundation provides services, free of charge, to victims of crime throughout the state of California and across the country that include information, advocacy, accompaniment to court and parole hearings (only for California victims and in the case of life sentenced inmates), and resources and referrals.”
The iCAN Foundation is affiliated with Crime Victims Action Alliance (CVAA), a California organization active in legislative advocacy since 1992.
In addition to finding contact information to receive help, the web site also offers information about more common crimes like stalking or sexual assaults due to drugs or alcohol. There are also factsheets available detailing how people can keep themselves safe and from being a potential crime victim; publications on teaching victims how to understand the legal process, and a link to state listings of crime victims rights.
