Victim Services

About the Department

Bradford County Victim Services seeks to empower all victims of crime with knowledge and a voice in the system.

Department Services

Victims are identified in each case that is bound over to the Court of Common Pleas from the District Justice Offices and Juvenile Charging Sheets are reviewed for the same purpose. Victims are kept informed, to the extent they request, and they are assisted navigating through the Criminal Justice System and Juvenile Justice System. Victims are afforded the opportunity to have court accompaniment, assert restitution claims, make oral victim impact statements or simply observe court proceedings.

Department Director

Francine Griffin:
Francine Griffin is the Victim Witness Coordinator for the County and she is located in the District Attorney’s Office. Francine established the Victim Impact Panels in Bradford County in 2000 wherein all DUI offenders are sentenced to attend. The offenders are given the opportunity to hear first-hand from victims of drunk drivers how their lives and those of their loved ones have been impacted by drunk drivers. Francine received the Governor’s Pathfinder Award for Victim Services in 2005. In 2007 she instituted the Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) Restitution Fund in the County to assist victims of juvenile offenders in attaining their pre-crime economic status. In 2008 she was instrumental in launching the SAVIN program which offers anyone the opportunity to learn of a defendant’s incarceration status within local correctional facilities throughout the US. Francine completed the Victim Assistance Academy at the University of Scranton, is a Certified Victim Advocate and holds a degree from Mansfield University.

Related Links

• PA SAVIN – To access information regarding County inmates and to receive notification of their release from jail. www.pacrimevictims.state.pa.us
• OVA – Office of the Victim Advocate provides access to information regarding State inmates and offers victims the opportunity to have input on parole release. www.ova.state.pa.us
• PCCD – The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency provides information for crime victims at www.pccd.state.pa.us and click on the link "Victims of Crime".
• MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving provide support to those victims whose lives have been affected by drunk drivers. www.madd.org

Contact the Department

Bradford County Courthouse
301 Main Street
Towanda,PA 18848
Phone: (570) 265-1759
griffinf@mail.bradfordco.org

Documents & Forms