Victim Services Agency

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East Mississippi Sexual Assault Center

• 24 Hour Crisis Line – The East MS Child Advocacy Center (EMCAC) has a 24/7 crisis line that can be used by victims of crime. This line can enable a victim to receive care for a recent assault, as well as for those persons who have been victimized over the 72 hour mark.

  The Crisis Line is answered by trained and professional staff Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and by an answering service the other hours, which then calls our rotating list of staff or trained volunteers.

  Many times, the line is used as a source of information for questioning parents or others who work with children. Other times, our advocates are asked to meet the victim at the hospital, along with a team of professionals…medical, law enforcement, and sometimes, a social worker from Department of Human Services whenever the child was assaulted in the home. Victim Advocates are present for the child and, oftentimes, make it possible for the team to obtain the most information from the medical exam and the most informative statements for law enforcement by building trust and helping the child to feel comfortable and safe.

  Our Crisis Line Number is: 601.482.2828

• Crisis Intervention - If a person has questions about sexual assault, they can call the center and ask to speak with any member of our advocacy staff.
  Our number is: 601.485.4736
• Professional Therapists – Therapy sessions are available for clients and their families by licensed and professionally trained therapist and psychologist. Appointments can be made by calling the center and requesting an appointment.
• Information and Referral – Any member of our Victim Services staff will be able to field calls or inform clients of services offered through the agency.
• S.A.R.T. (Sexual Assualt Response Team) – The team is composed of the Victim Services staff, law enforcement, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (S.A.N.E.), and social workers from the Department of Human Services if the victim is a child.
  The team meets in order to discuss each case and decide the best avenue of treatment and healing for the victim. Each case is handled on an individual basis.
• Traveling Therapist – Our psychologist travels to five different counties in order to provide services to areas not being served. Those counties are: Clarke, Jasper, Kemper, Neshoba and Newton.
• Court Advocacy – The Victim Services Agency works with the client to prepare them for court, and provides victim advocates in the courtroom during the actual trial.
• Victim Compensation Assistance – Our trained staff will help the victim with special needs, such as gasoline in order to get to and from therapist appointments, and assistance is given in terms of helping the client fill out forms for victim compensation.
  For more information, please call 601.485.4736

East Mississippi Child Advocacy Center

• 24 Hour Crisis Line – The East MS Child Advocacy Center (EMCAC) has a 24/7 crisis line that can be used by victims of crime. This line can enable a victim to receive care for a recent assault, as well as for those persons who have been victimized over the 72 hour mark.

  The Crisis Line is answered by trained and professional staff Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and by an answering service the other hours, which then calls our rotating list of staff or trained volunteers.

  Many times, the line is used as a source of information for questioning parents or others who work with children. Other times, our advocates are asked to meet the victim at the hospital, along with a team of professionals…medical, law enforcement, and sometimes, a social worker from Department of Human Services whenever the child was assaulted in the home. Victim Advocates are present for the child and, oftentimes, make it possible for the team to obtain the most information from the medical exam and the most informative statements for law enforcement by building trust and helping the child to feel comfortable and safe.
  Our Crisis Line Number is: 601.482.2828

• Crisis Intervention – If a person has questions about child abuse, they can call the center and ask to speak with any member of our advocacy staff.
  Our number is: 601.485.4736
• Professional Therapists – Therapy sessions are available for clients and their families by licensed and professionally trained therapist and psychologist. Appointments can be made by calling the center and requesting an appointment.
• Information and Referral – Any member of our Victim Services staff will be able to field calls or inform clients of services offered through the agency.
• Court Advocacy -The Victim Services Agency works with the child and their non-offending family in order to prepare them for court. Victim Advocates are always in the courtroom during the actual trial in order to provide silent support for the child and their family.
• Multi-Disciplinary Team – The team is composed of the Victim Services staff, law enforcement, Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (P.S.A.N.E.), and social workers from the Department of Human Services if the abuse occurred within the home.
  The team meets monthly in order to discuss each case and decide the best avenue of treatment and healing for the child. Each case is handled on an individual basis.
• Victim Compensation Assistance – Our trained staff will help the child’s caregiver with special needs, such as gasoline in order to get to and from therapist appointments, and assistance is given in terms of filling out the proper paperwork for victim compensation.
  For more information, please call 601.485.4736.
• Therapeutic Play – The East MS Child Advocacy Center houses a child friendly, therapeutic play room. This room is designed with a loft area for pre-adolescents and teens, with the floor level geared toward smaller children and equipped with a puppet show area as well as other play toys designed to assist the child in telling their story. One of the functions of “The Loft” is to help the children that have a difficult time communicating what did happen to them, mainly very young children or those children with disabilities. Therefore, the room is equipped with multiple cameras and microphone in order to tape the child and submit that information to the court.
  “The Loft” is also used as a holding place for children and adolescents that are awaiting a forensic interview. It is equipped with cushy chairs, toys, books and journals.
  Our team of therapists also utilizes the room for therapy sessions whenever appropriate.
• Taped Forensic Interviews – Referrals are made to the EMCAC by either a law enforcement officer or a social worker with the Department of Human Services in order to schedule a child for a forensic interview.
  The child will be interviewed in one of our two, state-of-the-art forensic interview rooms. They are each equipped with a camera, a microphone, a phone with a direct line to the appropriate monitor room and other tools by which a child might be able to relay their abuse.
  Interviews are performed by a specially trained therapist and the RATAC protocol is used.
  All interviews are taped as the interviewer asks non-leading questions about the allegations. This interview assists the team as an investigative tool and reduces trauma to the child as it lessens the number of times the child must tell about the abuse. However, this does not take the place of the child having to testify in a court of law.

Pediatric SANE Examinations

Whenever a child discloses abuse through a videotaped forensic interview (located in the Victim Services Agency) and the abuse took place over 72 hours, the child will be taken to the Pediatric SANE room for a medical forensic examination. These exams are done with Pediatric SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) and a physician specially trained in this area. Our exam room is beautifully furnished and child friendly and staffed with the best in the field from the three hospitals in Meridian.

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