By Jalayne Robinson, LMSW
TDCAA Victim Services Director
The Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Sugar Land was the venue for our Key Personnel–Victim Assistance Coordinator Conference in November. Attendees from across Texas gathered to hear presentations geared toward assisting key personnel and VACs who work in prosecutor offices. Many, many thanks to our highly informative speakers! We appreciate your time and valuable assistance to our TDCAA membership.
This conference is held annually and provides key personnel and victim assistance coordinators a chance to network and gather innovative ideas from others who do similar jobs in other counties. Each year during this conference, awards and recognition are given to deserving KP and VACs. (More about those below.)
Mark your calendar for the 2025 conference to be held November 5–7 in Grapevine at the Great Wolf Lodge. We hope to see you there!
Suzanne McDaniel Award
Sherry Magness, a victim assistance coordinator who has worked for the Criminal DA’s Office in Smith County for the past 18 years, was honored with the Suzanne McDaniel Award for her work on behalf of crime victims.
Sherry’s boss, elected Criminal District Attorney Jacob Putman, nominated her for the award, noting how patient, kind, and caring Sherry is toward victims of every type of crime. She has worked with thousands of crime victims, from family violence cases to murders. Mr. Putman also noted that Sherry maintains good relationships with victims’ families on death penalty cases, which often are pending in appeals for decades.
In 2012, Sherry volunteered to be trained as a facility dog handler so that victims would have the comfort of a K9 companion. Since 2012, she has successfully been the handler for three different facility dogs. Sherry served on TDCAA’s KP–VS Board from 2018 to 2019 and has contributed to this journal with an article about her work with comfort dogs. She has implemented new programs and has innovative ideas about ways to serve crime victims. She has also been an invaluable resource to other VACs across Texas and is always willing to share her expertise with other offices.
The award from the Key Personnel–Victim Services Board is given annually to a person employed in a prosecutor’s office whose job duties involve working directly with victims and who has demonstrated impeccable service to TDCAA, victim services, and prosecution. It is named for the late Suzanne McDaniel, who was a pioneer in Texas victim services. Suzanne served as the first Victim Services Director for TDCAA until her death in 2010. She spent her entire career serving victims of crime.
Sherry exemplifies the qualities that were so evident in Suzanne McDaniel herself: advocacy, empathy, and a constant recognition of the rights of crime victims. Congratulations Sherry!
PVAC recognition
The Professional Victim Assistance Coordinator (PVAC) recognition is a voluntary program for Texas prosecutor offices designed to recognize professionalism in prosecutor-based victim assistance and acknowledge a minimum standard of training in the field. In 2024, four VACs received their certificates:
Leslie M. Childress has worked for the Chambers County DA for nine years as a legal assistant and victim assistance coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and an associate’s degree in paralegal studies. She organizes their Tree of Angels ceremony each year in Chambers County.
Amy Johnson-Duong has been a VAC with the District Attorney’s Office in Harris County since 2022 and has worked in the victim services field since 2003. A major portion of her career was as a Children’s Court Services advocate, where she worked very closely with local prosecutors while assisting child victims of sexual assault. Amy has also worked as a mobile Advocacy Specialist with the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. Currently, she is assigned as a VAC to one felony court and one misdemeanor court where she provides direct services to victims in cases assigned to those courts.
Patricia West has been a VAC with the District Attorney’s Office in Harris County for almost six years, and she has been employed by the office in various capacities for nearly 25. While she is currently assigned as a VAC providing direct victim services in cases assigned to one felony court and one misdemeanor court, she has been assisting crime victims throughout her tenure at the office.
Verna D. Johnson has worked for the DA’s Office in Harris County for over five years and is a team lead supervising other VACs in the office. Verna is a master level social worker and is a field instructor for undergraduate and graduate social work students who are interning in the division. In addition to her team lead and intern supervision duties, Verna is assigned to a felony caseload and works directly with crime victims.
PVAC applications
The deadline for applications for PVAC recognition is January 31. To be eligible, applicants must provide victim assistance through a prosecutor’s office and be or become a member of TDCAA in the Key Personnel category. Other requirements include:
• either three years’ experience providing direct victim services for a prosecutor’s office or five years’ experience in the victim services field, one of which must be providing prosecutor-based victim assistance.
• training recognized for CLE, TCLEOSE, social work, and/or licensed professional counselor educational credits are accepted under this program. Training must include at least one workshop on the following topics: prosecutor victim assistance coordinator duties under Chapter 56A of the Code of Criminal Procedure; the rules and application process for Crime Victims’ Compensation; the impact of crime on victims and survivors; and crisis intervention and support counseling.
Applicants must show that they have already received 45 total hours of training in victim services (which is equivalent to the number of hours in the National Victim Assistance Academy program created by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime).
For more requirements, please visit our website at www.tdcaa.com/resources/victim-ser-vices. Email applications to me at Jalayne [email protected].
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
Each April, communities throughout the country observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) by hosting events promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. NCVRW will be observed April 6–12, 2025, with the theme, “Connecting < KINSHIP > Healing.” For more information, check out the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) website at ovc.ojp.gov/news/announcements/2025-national-crime-victims-rights-week-dates-and-theme. Sign up for the NCVRW subscription list at ovc.ojp.gov/program/national-crime-victims-rights-week/subscribe.
If your community hosts an event, I would love to publish photos and information about it in an upcoming issue of The Texas Prosecutor journal. Please email me at Jalayne.Robinson @tdcaa.com with information and photos of your event.
Victim services consultations
As TDCAA’s Victim Services Director, my primary responsibility is to assist Texas prosecutors, VACs, and other staff in providing support services for crime victims in their jurisdictions. I am available to provide training and technical assistance via phone, by email, in person, or by Zoom. I can tailor individual or group training specifically for your needs. The training and assistance are free of charge.
Are you a new VAC? This training would be perfect for you! To schedule a free consultation, please email me at Jalayne.Robinson @tdcaa.com. Many offices across Texas are taking advantage of this free victim services training.