On-campus advocate for victims

When members of an academic community become victims of a crime, either on or off campus, they often find themselves facing a barrage of legal, medical, academic and personal challenges.

Sometimes, the challenges and the choices can seem overwhelming.

Many victims blame themselves, and this feeling of responsibility for their victimization can make it difficult for them to report a crime.

“Victims can get lost in the criminal justice process,” Cpl. Diana Palladino, a community police specialist in UD’s Department of Public Safety, says.

Palladino is one of two officers specifically trained to help victims of crime through counseling, support services and referrals to outside agencies.

“I look over the list of complaints that we receive at Public Safety,” Palladino says. “Some of these ‘red flag’ complaints include domestic violence, stalking, ID theft, robbery and assault with injury. All of these have an impact on the lives of the victims.”

To initiate contact, Palladino says she sends a letter of introduction to victims of crime, offering her help.

“I might send out 14 letters a semester, and I may get two responses,” Palladino says. “Some victims do not want to think about it.”
Following this initial contact, Palladino arranges for a face-to-face meeting.

“Working in victim services also involves preparing individuals for the many legal, medical and emotional hurdles that lie ahead,” Palladino says. “We teach them how to keep a logbook describing stalking or other incidents.”

Individuals also learn how to keep a record of medical treatments in order to receive proper restitution for harm done to them.

“Victim advocacy works to enforce parallel justice and to balance the rights of the victims with those of the accused,” Palladino says. “Victims have the right to be informed and to receive proper restitution.”

Palladino says that it is not unusual for victims to hesitate to report a crime committed against them because they don’t want to cause trouble. They also may have serious concerns about the way family and friends will react, she says.

“In cases of sexual assault, people who know both the victim and the accused often take sides, and there is a lot of victim blaming,” Palladino says. When cases do come to trial, victims and their families may face long days in court. They also need to be made aware of what their responsibilities in the case are, Palladino says.

At UD, the Office of Judicial Affairs, Residence Life and SOS, the Sexual Offense Support organization, help victims with challenges in the classroom and residence halls, Palladino says.

“If they are having trouble with their schoolwork, I try to intercede with the academic departments involved,” Palladino says. “Victims also may feel the need to move out of a residence hall, especially if the accused is living in the same building.”

Palladino, who graduated from UD in May 2000 with a degree in criminal justice and a minor in women’s studies, started working for Public Safety the same year. She graduated from the Wilmington Police Academy in 2001.

For more information, visit [www.udel.edu/PublicSafety/victimservices.htm].

— Jerry Rhodes, AS ’04