A Crime Victim Advocacy Program is a program to assist victims of crime through the criminal justice

Criminal justice

Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...

 system. Such a program assists victim of a "General Crime", that is, as any crime committed that is not domestic or sexual in nature. Common examples of general crime are murder, robbery

Robbery

Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....

, identity theft, burglary

Burglary

Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...

, vandalism, hate crimes, assault

Assault

In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...

, and threats.

Typically, victims of general crimes are an underserved group. Most victim advocacy programs focus on either DV (domestic violence) or SA (sexual assault). Many crime victims are unfamiliar with the Criminal justice system, due to recent immigration

Immigration

Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...

, language barriers, or ignorance.

Example

A typical one is located in SW Washington state in the counties of Clark

Clark County, Washington

Clark County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.Clark County was the first county of Washington, named after William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition...

, Wahkiakum, and Cowlitz

Cowlitz County, Washington

Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census its population was 102,410. It forms the Longview, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. The county seat is at Kelso, and its largest city is Longview...

, was started in January 2006 for the expressed purpose of helping victims of general crime. Chris Knox, B.S. Biological Anthropology runs the CVAP program in Clark County, with his office based out of Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...

.