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:
- The right to be reasonably protected from the accused
- 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.
- 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.
- The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding.
- The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case.
- The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law.
- The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay.
- The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy.
- The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement.
- 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:
- the arrest of a suspected offender;
- the nature of the charges against a suspected offender;
- the scheduling of each court proceeding that you are either required or entitled to attend;
- the pre-trial release on bail or detention status of a suspected offender;
- the acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or the rendering of a verdict after trial; and
- 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
- National Organization for Victim Assistance
1.800.TRY-NOVA - National Center for Victims of Crime
1.800.FYI.CALL - Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline
- Phone: 877.ID.THEFT
866.653.4261 - National Human Trafficking Hotline
Phone: 888.3737.888 - National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Phone: 800.799.7233
800.787.3224 - Delaware Victims' Compensation Assistance Program
302.255.1770 - Delaware Helpline
Phone: 800.464.HELP
Fraud
- U. S. Social Security Administration
1.800.269.0271 - National Fraud Information Center
1.800.876.7060 - Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
619.298.3396
Children
- Childhelp USA (Child Abuse Hotline)
1.800.4A.CHILD - National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
1.800.843.5678 - National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect
1.800.394.3366 - National Children's Advocacy Center
321.387.9500 - Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families
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
- New Castle County
YWCA Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC)
800.773.8570 - Kent & Sussex County
ContactLifeline Rape Crisis
302.761.9100
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
- National Elder Care Locator Services Hotline
1.800.677.1116 - https://dcjustice.org/our-programs/adults-50-victims-services/
302.658.7174 - Delaware Division of Health and Human Services Adult Protective Services
Legal Services
- Legal Service Corp.
202.336.8800 - Delaware State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
- Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.
New Castle - 800.292.7980
Kent - 800.537.8383
Sussex - 800.462.7070 - Avoid Theft: Deter-Detect-Defend
- IRS Identity Theft Prevention and Victim Assistance