Prosecutor

Owyhee County Victim Witness Program

The Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office Victim Witness Coordinator helps victims, witnesses and survivors of serious crimes. The Coordinator provides immediate crisis intervention and serves as an advocate for the victim and witnesses.

Victim Witness Coordinators help victims understand and navigate the criminal justice system, facilitate their participation with the judicial process and accompany victims to court. They feel strongly about preserving the dignity of victims and strive to treat them with compassion and respect as they go through an often emotional or intense situation.

Basic Services Provided by the Owyhee County Victim Witness Coordinator:

Crisis intervention
Resource and referral
Orientation to the criminal justice system, case notification and victim participation
Assistance with Crime Victim’s Compensation restitution, safety planning, VINE registration, protection orders, and referrals to shelters and emergency hotlines.

Our Mission

The Owyhee County Victim Witness Program strives to reduce the trauma of a crime by empowering and assisting crime victims, witnesses and significant others in reconstructing their lives through advocacy, support, information and referrals.

Your Rights

In Idaho, as a victim of a crime, you are afforded certain rights under the law. The Owyhee County Victim Witness Program is here to ensure that those rights are protected and enforced throughout your time in the criminal justice system.

A crime victim, as defined by statute, has the following rights:

To be treated with fairness, respect, dignity and privacy throughout the criminal justice process.
To timely disposition of the case.
To prior notification of trial court, appellate and parole sentence, incarceration and release of the defendant.
To be present at all criminal justice proceedings.
To communicate with the prosecution.
To be heard, upon request, at all criminal justice proceedings considering a plea of guilty, sentencing, incarceration or release of the defendant, unless manifest injustice would result.
To restitution, as provided by law, from the person committing the offense that caused the victim’s loss.
To refuse an interview, ex parte contact, or other request by the defendant, or any other person acting on behalf of the defendant, unless such request is authorized by law.
To read pre-sentence reports relating to the crime.
To the same rights in juvenile proceedings, where the offense is a felony

Victims Compensation Assistance Program

You may be eligible to receive financial help with expenses directly related to the crime. Victims Compensation is a state program that pays out-of-pocket medical and counseling bills, loss of wages or support, funeral expenses, and cash benefits as a result of crime. Property losses are not covered. All other means of paying these bills (Insurance, HMO, Medical Assistance or Medicare) must be used first. The crime must be reported to the police.

To apply for Victims Compensation, please contact the Owyhee County Victim Witness Coordinator.

Victim Compensation Application

Offender Release Notification

You can register to receive free, automatic, confidential notifications regarding your offender while he/she is under the supervision of county jails, state prisons, or state parole. To learn more and to register, you can go or you can visit Victim Information & Notification Everyday (VINE) or by calling 1-866-984-6343.

Victim Information & Notification Everyday

Address Confidentiality Program

You may be eligible for enrollment in the ldaho Address Confidentiality Program (ACP). If you move to a new location to escape domestic violence, sexual abuse or stalking, the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) can help keep your new address confidential. This is done through the use of a mail-forwarding service and substitute address. In accordance with Idaho Code ss 19-57, all state and local agencies are required to accept the substitute address as the actual address of the individual.

Upon approval of your ACP application, your first-class mail is sent to the secure ACP substitute address and then forwarded to your new home. You can also use the substitute address for a variety of state and local government requirements, such as:

Applying for and receiving child support
Getting an Idaho driver’s license
Enrolling your children in public schools
Applying for a marriage license

The ACP can help protect you and your loved ones by keeping your physical address private, where it would appear in public records. The ACP is free and it is easy to apply. For more information contact your Victim Witness Coordinator.

Address Confidentiality Program

Court Notifications

If the crime in which you were a victim is being prosecuted by the prosecuting attorney’s office and you would like to be notified as the case moves through the system, please inform your Victim Witness Coordinator.