Mothers Against Drunk Driving

PLAN OF OPERATION

In order to fill victim contact and service gaps in Rhode Island, this proposal will provide VOCA and matching funds to continue to employ a part-time Victim Advocate to our staff.  The new Advocate has experience in formulating, administering, and fulfilling a plan that will bridge those gaps.  The first year of the plan, which remains active and ongoing, is critical, but when success is achieved the methodology will be documented in order to sustain continuation of the services.

While the new Victim Advocate is the administrator of the plan, that person has the advantage of the current management personnel who have vast experience in all areas of MADD RI’s work.

Objectives

• To increase community outreach activities and raise awareness of available victim services
• To provide crisis management and emotional support to drunk driving victims and surviving family members
• To provide guidance and advocacy through the criminal justice system
• To provide grief recovery brochures and other helpful print materials to drunk-driving victims and survivors through placement in every law enforcement agency, hospital emergency room, and homeless shelter in RI
• To recruit and train bi-lingual volunteer advocates- advertising in the     ethnic newspaper, church bulletins and campus clubs.
• To reach out to under-served minority communities.

Program Activities

• Community Outreach - MADD will continue to increase our efforts to inform the public about the impact of DUI crashes and the availability of services for those families who experience fatalities and/or injuries.  Service brochures and newspaper “human interest” articles about crime victims is distributed throughout the state.  MADD RI will share victim tributes on its national website.  These activities will help residents become more aware of drunk-driving victim issues and the availability of victim services.  In addition, victim services posters and brochures will be provided to hospitals, funeral homes, libraries, mental health associations, emergency personnel, fire departments, medical examiners, prosecutor’s offices, senior centers, and other victim advocacy service providers. We will highlight the reality of grief a grandparent faces and allow them strong validation and support. We will also continue to reach out to male victims who demonstrate emotional needs different than those required for females. And we will also stress MADD’s attention to ‘spousal grief” which is inclusive of same sex partners who are often not recognized as grieving family members. 

• Direct Services - MADD victim advocates assist victims and survivors to identify and develop healthy coping skills in order to remain stable and secure in the aftermath of traumatic, life-changing acts committed against them or their loved ones.  Services offered are tailored to each victim’s identified needs and circumstances.  Services provided also include intensive individual advocacy to assist them in identifying and understanding internal and personal reactions to the crime.

• Advocacy Services - In addition to providing emotional support for bereaved and injured drunk driving crash victims, a large part of MADD’s victim support focuses on criminal justice advocacy.  Most people who are victimized do not understand the complex legal systems they are suddenly involved in. As trust is developed, victim advocates naturally become a liaison between the person/people victimized and law enforcement, prosecutors and criminal justice personnel, crime victim reparations case workers, probation officers, civil attorneys, and the media. 

• Information and Referral - MADD will provide appropriate victim brochures and handbooks to each victim with whom we make contact.  These materials will provide victims with appropriate literature regarding DUI injury, bereavement and/or child endangerment.  In addition to service information, the victim handbooks will also contain information on impaired driving laws, the penalties for alcohol-related offenses, Victim Rights information on how to apply for Crime Victim Compensation and how to go about being notified of hearings, and other local and statewide resources as well.  We will increase our Spanish written support material to help with our increased outreach to all minority communities. We will provide specific brochures to men, life-partners, and grandparents. We will also begin acquiring books and other pertinent victim related resources in order to build a victim library.

Gabrielle M. Abbate
Project Director
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Two Regency Plaza, Suite 3
Providence, Rhode Island 029903
Phone: 401-421-0800
Fax: (401) 421-8998