If you have been the victim of a crime and need assistance, the Arizona Coalition for Victim Services would like to point you in the right direction for help.  ACVS is a network of victim service organizations, but does not provide any direct services to crime victims.  Victim services are provided by our membership agencies.

If you have been the victim of a crime, here are some questions to help guide you in seeking help:

• Have you reported the crime?  If you haven’t yet reported the crime, you may want to do so by calling 911 or the law enforcement agency where the crime occurred (e.g., your municipal or tribal police department or, in unincorporated areas, your county sheriff). For a list of law enforcement agencies by county or city, please click here.
• Are you looking for information regarding the status of investigation of a crime you already reported?  To find out the status of the investigation, you need to call back to the law enforcement agency which took your complaint.  You should have received a pamphlet that explains the process and contains contact numbers.  If you did not receive a pamphlet, call the arresting agency and ask to speak to the detective assigned to your case or to a victim advocate if the agency employs advocates.  If the detective is not responsive, you may want to speak to his or her supervisor.  If you still are dissatisfied, you may want to consider filing a formal complaint with the agency.  For a list of law enforcement agencies by county or city, please click here or visit our “links page” for a partial list of city or county law enforcement based victim services.
• Are your looking for information regarding the prosecution of a case?  If you have questions about a case that has already been presented and accepted for prosecution, you should call the prosecutor’s office.  Generally, for misdemeanor crimes that occur within a city’s limits, you would call the prosecutor’s office for that city or municipality.  For misdemeanors that occur in unincorporated areas or any felony, regardless of where it occurred in the county, you should call the County Attorney’s Office in the county where the crime occurred.  For a list of County Attorney offices, click here or visit our “links page” for a partial list of city or county prosecution based victim services.
• Are you afraid to report a crime or do you need other services such as safety planning, shelter, counseling, or support groups?  If you are afraid to report or need other services, we encourage you to try to call one of the agencies in your area that specialize in the type of crime for which you were a victim (e.g., a domestic violence hotline or shelter, a rape crisis center, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, etc.).
  • For a list of resources click here.
• Do you have medical or counseling expenses, loss of wages, funeral or crime scene cleanup expenses you need help with?  If you are crime victim who reported the crime within 72 hours and have cooperated with law enforcement and prosecution, you may be eligible for Victim Compensation Assistance.  For more information about the program or to obtain an application, please click here.
• Do you want more information about your rights as victim?  Arizona has one of the more robust sets of victims’ rights in the country.  These rights were enshrined by the voters into the Arizona Constitution in 1990 and have subsequently been expanded upon by the Arizona Legislature in statute.
  • For the Arizona Constitution Victims’ Bill of Rights click here.
  • For victims’ rights for victims of offenses committed by adults (Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13, Chapter 40) click here.
  • For victims’ rights for victims of offenses committed by juveniles (Arizona Revised Statutes Title 8, Chapter 3, Article 7) click here.
• Were you awarded restitution as the victim in a criminal case? A judge may have ordered a defendant in a criminal case to pay restitution to you as part of a sentencing order. If you have questions about restitution, the laws pertaining to restitution, or need access to forms to file a restitution lien, can click here to go to the Arizona Supreme Court’s website.
• Do you have other social service or welfare needs?  For other social service and welfare needs, please contact Arizona 2-1-1 (Arizona Community Information and Referral) by dialing 2-1-1 on your telephone or by clicking here.