Legal Services
Know Your Rights
The Victim’s Bill of Rights are in place to preserve and protect victim's rights to justice and due process, a victim of crime has a right to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity, free of intimidation, harassment or abuse throughout the criminal justice process. The right to be informed, to be present, to be heard, to refuse an interview, deposition or other discovery request of the defendant and to confer with prosecution.*
Legal Assistance
NVAA will assist clients with finding legal representation free of charge or at a reduced rate. Clients are not obligated to use any referral provided them and legal representation is not guaranteed.
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We have experienced domestic violence advocates who will assist clients with Orders of Protection, Address Confidentiality Program, Innocent Spouse, Victim Compensation, and court accompaniments.
Financial Means
Because an abuse victim is less likely to be able to afford legal representation, he or she is at an automatic disadvantage when involved in a child custody case.
Control
Abusive partners use children to control victims. Abusive partners often threaten to gain sole custody, kill, kidnap, or otherwise harm children if victims leave. They use child custody as a way to continue to threaten and harass the victim.*
Custody
In Massachusetts study, 38% of abusive fathers seeking sole custody were awarded either sole or joint custody of their children, despite the fact that there was a documented pattern of abuse of both the mother and the children.*