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Victim Witness Program

Every U.S. Attorney's Office has a Victim/Witness Assistance Program to assist victims of federal crimes. The Victim/Witness Assistance Programs are a part of federal efforts to provide information on rights and services to victims and witnesses of federal crimes, as well as to encourage the participation of victims in the criminal justice system to the extent that they wish, in accordance with federal law.

To contact our office:

Victim/Witness Program

United States Attorney's Office
Victim Witness Program
1313 N. Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
302.573.6277

The Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office provides services for victims and witnesses of federal crimes. Our staff provide case status information, education regarding the federal criminal justice system, court accompaniment, crisis intervention, referrals to various social service organizations in the county, state and other federal agencies.

It is our goal to ensure that crime victims and witnesses are afforded their rights and treated fairly during the prosecution process.

Victims’ Rights

Federal crime victims* have the following rights, as set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3771:

  1. The right to be reasonably protected from the accused
  2. The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused.
  3. The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding.
  4. The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding.
  5. The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case.
  6. The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law.
  7. The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay.
  8. The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy.
  9. The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement.
  10. The right to be informed of the rights under this section and the services described in section 503(c) of the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 10607(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of the Victims' Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice.

We will make our best efforts to ensure you are accorded the rights described.

You can seek the advice of an attorney with respect to these rights, Section 3771(c)(2).

If you are a federal crime victim and believe that an employee of the United States Attorney's Office failed to provide you with one or more of these rights, you may file an administrative complaint, as provided under 28 CFR § 45.10. For more information, see http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/vr/.

* According to the act, a victim is “a person directly and proximately harmed as a result of the commission of a Federal offense or an offense in the District of Columbia. In the case of a crime victim who is under 18 years of age, incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased, the legal guardians of the crime victim or representatives of the crime victim’s estate, family members, or any other persons appointed suitable by the court, may assume the crime victim’s right under this chapter, but in no event shall the defendant be named as such guardian or representative.”

Case Information

If you are a victim of a federal crime charged and filed in this district, we can notify you of:

  1. the arrest of a suspected offender;
  2. the nature of the charges against a suspected offender;
  3. the scheduling of each court proceeding that you are either required or entitled to attend;
  4. the pre-trial release on bail or detention status of a suspected offender;
  5. the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or the rendering of a verdict after trial; and
  6. the sentence imposed on an offender.

If you have any questions, please contact our Victim Witness Coordinator at 302-573-6277.

Victim/Witness Resources

*NOTE: The following organizations are some, but not all, of the organizations available to assist crime victims. No such organization is affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Attorney's Office and you should independently consider and assess any services that such organizations and others may offer.

General Victim/Witness Resources

Fraud

Children

Domestic Violence Hotlines (including emergency safety/shelter needs)

  • New Castle County (English and Spanish)
    302.762.6110
  • Northern Kent County
  • 302.678.3886
  • Kent & Sussex Counties
    302.422.8058
  • Abriendo Puertas (Spanish)
    302.745.9874
  • National Domestic Violence
    800.799.7233
    800.787.3224 - TTY

Sexual Assault Resources

Women/Family

  • Battered Women's Justice Project
    1.800.903.0111 ext. 3
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline
    1.800.799.SAFE
  • Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
    1.800.656.4673
  • Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Child Protection and Custody
    1.800.527.3233
  • Family Violence Prevention Fund/Health Resource Center
    1.800.313.1310
  • Child, Inc. (New Castle County)
    302.762.8989
  • SOAR
    302.655.3953

Seniors

Legal Services

Updated October 14, 2021

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