Hyten coordinates victims' services for Jackson County

Through funding from a federal grant, a victim services coordinator has been hired for the county in order to offer free support services for victims of crimes.

Lisa Hyten, who was appointed to serve as that victim services coordinator, met with the Jackson County Commissioners recently to outline the services offered through the grant, as well as the goals of the position.

In October, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was awarded a one-year $85,636 Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant aimed to provide direct services to victims of crimes. The grant funding is a result of the Victims of Crime Act, passed in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, which created the Victims of Crime Act fund.  

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse said that the VOCA fund does not depend on taxpayer dollars and instead is derived from fines and penalties incurred by offenders at the federal level.

In Kansas, the Governor’s Grant Program administers these funds to qualifying agencies. 

“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is one of only a handful of law enforcement agencies receiving this type of grant funding in Kansas,” Morse said. 

Hyten, who has an office at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, told commissioners that the grant is “up and running” and outlined the paperwork and reporting that must be completed as part of the grant.

“There’s paperwork that must be done daily, quarterly and monthly for the grant,” Hyten said.

She said she has three goals for the newly created position.

“The first goal is to allow victims to have immediate access to services,” she said. “Our goal is to serve 100 people by the end of the year, and we’ve already served 31 (which includes primary and secondary victims). So we’re well on our way.”

Hyten said her second goal is to provide ongoing support to victims throughout their cases in the court system.

“Right now we have a 94 percent participation rate by victims in the courts,” she said.

The third goal is to make sure that, as a community, crimes are being addressed as a team and that everyone is well trained and works with other departments for prevention.

“You have a great team that is already set up here that works well together,” she said.

Hyten also outlined for the commissioners the five main service areas of her position as victim services coordinator – information/referral, crime victim compensation, personal advocacy, criminal justice assistance and emotional support. All these services are free.

“I talk to the victims about the criminal justice system – how it works and their involvement and rights,” she said.

She said she also informs victims that they are sometimes entitled to financial benefits from the state for things such as medical bills, funeral expenses and the clean up associated with a crime scene.

“I will also physically go to court with them or take them to the prosecutor,” she said. “Part of my job is keeping victims informed of the status of the trial they are involved in.”

By working out of the sheriff’s office, Hyten said she is available to emotionally support victims at the scene of a crime.

“Since October, I’ve served a variety of victims associated with different crimes,” she said.

Besides primary victims, Hyten said she also serves secondary victims, such as parents.

“Generally, I’m working with the parents almost as equally as I’m working with a child,” she said. “There’s a lot of guilt parents face when their child is a victim of a crime.”

Hyten is available to help support victims of a variety of crimes, including adult physical violence, child sexual assault, domestic violence, survivors of homicide, child pornography, missing person, kidnapping, stalking and teen dating violence.

Hyten previously worked as a rural advocate at Holton’s YWCA Center for Safety Empowerment. She has more than 15 years of experience providing direct services to individuals and families. She has extensive experience working with victims of crime at both the local and state level.

Hyten was the recipient of the Kansas Attorney General’s Outstanding Community Based Advocate of the Year Award in 2013.

Hyten told commissioners she will provide them will quarterly reports of her work through the grant.

“I am so glad we have you,” said Commission Chairman Janet Zwonitzer.