Arizona Attorney General Office of Victim Services Agency Support Team

The Arizona Attorney General Office of Victim Services Agency Support Team (AST) has created programs that advance and enforce statewide uniformity and efficiency in following victims’ rights in Arizona. AST has taken a unique approach in ensuring statewide victims’ rights compliance by combining state funding, program audits, technical assistance, training, compliance, and collaboration which has resulted in increased dialogue about victims’ rights and increased compliance with Arizona’s victims’ bill of rights and victims’ rights statutes. 

In 2016, AST provided over 2,000 technical assistance services to direct service providers. AST administers the Victims’ Rights Fund to 58 criminal justice agencies, which in turn are subject to comprehensive audits to ensure that the agencies are upholding victims’ rights and that services are being provided to victims. These audits allow the funded agencies to more successfully ensure victims’ rights and evidence compliance, and allow the AST staff to communicate and institute best practices around the state. 

AST has developed trainings tailored to different agency types from Basic Victims’ Rights training to an advanced training curriculum. In 2016, 72 training sessions were administered to over 1,500 participants including victim advocates, support staff, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, judges, and probation. AST also employs a Victims’ Rights Compliance Administrator to work with victims who believe their rights have been violated, and to help agencies improve their services. 

Finally, AST supports collaboration by chairing the Victims’ Rights Advisory Committee which consists of victims’ rights providers from various systems and successfully makes legislative changes, works with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, addresses problems with sentencing, and more. AST has advanced victims’ rights services in Arizona and increased compliance thanks largely to their knowledge, motivation, collaboration, high quality customer service, and leadership skills.