REVISED TENTATIVE

Occ. Code 8123900

DIRECTOR, VICTIM SERVICES, M-2

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

          The Director Victim Services oversees the operation of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Office of Crime Victim Assistance.  The incumbent coordinates within DOCCS all victim assistance activities and coordinates victim service activities outside the Department with the Unified Court Systems, other State agencies, and victim advocacy groups. 

This position is classified at DOCCS Main Office.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

DIRECTOR, VICTIM SERVICES:  one position class; directs and manages the operations of the Department’s crime victim programs for facilities Statewide; recommends program policy changes; and implements victim program policy changes for the Associate Commissioner.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

Coordinates the Department’s victim service programming.

• Assists District Attorneys and court staff in establishing policies to provide DOCCS with Orders of Protection.
• Ensures victim programs ensure victim safety and guarantees that participation of victims(s) and offender(s) in programs is voluntary.
• Establishes best practices guidelines in victim programming.
• Notifies the Office of Victim Services whenever an inmate’s account balance exceeds ten thousand dollars.
• Notifies the Inmate Accounts Office and Counsel’s Office when an inmate’s account balance requires review in accordance with established Department guidelines.
• Assists the Office of Victim Services in meeting victim needs and recommends how DOCCS can best meet these needs.
• Assists the Office of Victim Services and Attorney General’s Office in supporting victim civil actions.
• Assists the New York State Unified Court System in their efforts to provide victim initiated victim-offender dialogues.
• Interviews offender to evaluate suitability of offender participation in victim-offender dialogues.
• Accompanies victim during victim- offender dialogue conducted in a correctional facility.
• Conducts informational victim groups programs and provides education and information on individual victim services to interested individuals and organizations.
• Prepares written informational material for dissemination to victims groups.
• Coordinates efforts with the Office of Victim Services to publicize victim services and informational hotlines, including participation in presentations to a wide range of groups and disseminating printed and audiovisual material.
• Represents the Commissioner of DOCCS on committees outside the Department and serves as a member of the New York State Office of Victim Services Advisory Council and Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team.
• Coordinates with the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence to establish and maintain directives on Domestic Violence in the Workplace Policy.
• Collects data from all correctional facilities and community supervision offices to compile bi-annual reports about Domestic Violence in the Workplace for submission to the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.
• Works with community organizations to better understand victim service needs.
• Works with the Department's Language Access Unit to translate program information into the Spanish language.
• Maintains a list of victim service providers and networks.
• Refers victims directly to services for which they may be eligible, including Office of Victim Services crime victims compensation programs and post sentencing services.
• Establishes escape notification policy for Command Center staff in the event of an inmate’s escape.

Oversees the operation of the Department’s Office of Victim Assistance.

• Remains on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for escape notification.
• Reviews, updates, and establishes Departmental directives enhancing victim protections and services.
• Supervises, performs performance evaluations and probation reports, and schedules time off for the professional, clerical, and intern staff of the Office of Victim Services.
• Writes and coordinates grants for staffing and services to ensure funds for essential office activities, training, and travel are available.
• Ensures the statutorily required Victim Notification Program reaches intended recipients and coordinates the automation of written notifications through the Office of Victim Assistance.
• Ensures victim notification forms are received by local District Attorneys and victim service programs. Meets with District Attorneys and court staff to ensure Order of Protection documents are supplied to DOCCS.
• Coordinates Office of Victim Assistance efforts to further automate and record victim notification transactions and all victim contacts.
• Assists staff in correctional facilities to obtain, interpret, and document Orders of Protection in appropriate files and computerized systems.
• Assists Counsel’s Office with compliance with the Notification Compensatory Damages Program.
• Assists the Inmate Accounts Office in efforts to increase the collection of court ordered restitution.
• Assists the Training Academy staff to update training for all new and existing correctional facility staff in victims’ rights and services programs and victim epidemiology.
• Documents amount of restitution collected and day of payment information to District Attorney and county Probation Offices.
• Assists probation offices in counties and New York City with victim restitution payment processing.
• Assists correctional facilities with victim impact programming. 
• Maintains the Apology Letter Bank and ensures registered victims are aware of the existence of such letters.
• Coordinates the victim impact statement program, including appointment scheduling, victim accompaniment, and dissemination of confidential victim impact statements to correctional facilities.

Oversees the operation of the Department’s Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) System.

• Coordinates the operation of the VINE automated victim notification system with the New York City Department of Corrections and the New York State Sheriffs' Association.
• Oversees the VINE contract and approves payments and ensures vendor compliance with program contract requirements.  Works with the Department’s Contract Procurement Unit to ensure contract renewal and/or publish requirements for new contracts.   
• Reviews new organization additions to the VINE system ensuring the new information is consistent with required information parameters.
• Establishes policy to identify VINE system information errors.
• Executes daily testing of the VINE automated notification system and works with system provider to correct any errors identified.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Promotion:  one year of permanent competitive service as a Supervising Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator.

Date:  7/18

NOTE: Classification Standards illustrate the nature, extent and scope of duties and responsibilities of the classes they describe.  Standards cannot and do not include all of the work that might be appropriately performed by a class.  The minimum qualifications above are those which were required for appointment at the time the Classification Standard was written.  Please contact the Division of Staffing Services for current information on minimum qualification requirements for appointment or examination.