By Leanne Winfrey
Office Manager, Criminal District Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County
Jefferson County is the grateful recipient of two beautiful new victim-witness rooms. These rooms—originally built and furnished in the 1980s—received a fresh coat of paint, new furnishings, carpet, and beautiful artwork, all thanks to the Junior League of Beaumont.
Daisy Reyna, a Provisional Member of this local Junior League chapter and counselor at the child advocacy center, first suggested the remodel as her class’s service project. When our elected Criminal District Attorney, Keith Giblin, learned that the Junior League had chosen to renovate the witness rooms in the courthouse, he was overcome with gratitude. One of the most traumatic aspects of being the victim of a violent crime is having to relive that experience in the courtroom and being forced to physically associate with one’s assailant. A victim-witness waiting room is one essential tool to help minimize that trauma by providing a safe, comfortable space for victims and witnesses to wait prior to testifying.
To that end, the Junior League began to plan its renovations to two rooms, one for adults and one for children. The project had an allotted budget of $500; however, it quickly exceeded budget, and all additional funds were donated by class members and others. Paige Reed, the project chair, coordinated closely with me, the office manager, regarding the renovations and what might best help create a safe and relaxing environment for victims. For the children’s waiting room, for example, I helped identify items that could help children cope with stress and noted the need for books and movies in both Spanish and English so that all children in the community could be served.
After weeks of planning and designing, the Provisional Class of the Junior League descended on the courthouse and began working. Functioning as efficiently as a well-oiled machine, they completed the project in just two days. They thought of everything—the newly remodeled rooms check all the boxes.
The adult witness room was transformed from a stark white space with chairs and magazines (it looked a little like the waiting room in a doctor’s office) into a peaceful and inviting room with warm new lighting, plants, and artwork. All the old 1980s blue chairs were replaced with sleek black cushioned armchairs.
The original room for child witnesses was a hodgepodge of worn-out items. (Everyone was delighted to see the old red stained sofa hauled to the dumpster!) The redecorated room uses a cheery color scheme of soft blues and cream with colorful artwork on one wall and a display of kid-friendly books on another. The Junior League provided a comfy new sofa and fresh pillows, books, toys, puzzles, stuffed animals, and a child-size table for kids to color and play. The group also donated “witness bags” children can carry with them into court. The bags include courtroom-appropriate items such as snacks, fidget toys, tissues, and a small stuffed animal.
On March 26, the community held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to show off the new rooms. Many were in attendance to see the transformations, including members of the Junior League, employees of the District Attorney’s Office, various courthouse employees, and other community leaders. All were eager to applaud the Junior League for their hard work, especially the extra efforts they took to serve those most vulnerable in our community. District Attorney Giblin voiced his admiration for child victims and their bravery in coming forward to testify. In expressing his gratitude to the Junior League, Giblin commented that no one had identified this need before, and he believed God planted the seed for this idea. He praised the Junior League because they “could have chosen anywhere for their project but chose to re-do a room where the most precious of our possessions are—[our] children.”
The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office is thankful to the Junior League of Beaumont and their service to our community in renovating the victim-witness rooms in the courthouse. Job well done.