The purpose of the Salem County Office of Victim Witness Advocacy is to ensure that the crime victims of this county are treated with dignity and compassion so their unfortunate experience through the criminal justice system is less burdensome. 

The Victim Witness Unit consists of a coordinator, two victim advocates and a secretary.  The Unit provides a variety of services for victims to lessen the emotional strain associated with the criminal justice system.  Some of these services include, but are not limited to, introduction to the criminal justice system, personal court accompaniments to provide moral support, social services referrals, employer intervention and assistance with financial recovery.

The Administration Division has four major areas of responsibility.  First, the division prepares all cases for presentation to the Grand Jury.  Preparation means the review of all cases for content, the gathering of all reports and other materials necessary for a successful criminal prosecution, the preparation of an indictment and the service of all subpoenas.  In those cases that are determined to be inappropriate for Grand Jury presentation, the First Assistant Prosecutor makes the decision to remand or dismiss.  If the case is remanded, the original complaints and reports are sent back to the appropriate agency.  If the case is to be dismissed, the victim and the witnesses are notified, and the appropriate information is entered into the computer by the clerical staff.  Once the file is prepared for Grand Jury presentation, it is assigned to that team and ultimately to a specific assistant prosecutor for review.  If additional investigation or other reports are necessary, the assistant prosecutor will direct the members of the Administration Division to follow-up within specified time frames.

The second area of responsibility is to support the prosecution staff with all cases that are pending trial in Superior Court.  This includes all juvenile and domestic violence cases that are heard in Family Court.  This support involves the collection of reports, compiling of a witness list, the notification of the witnesses and control of the State’s evidence.

The Salem County Fugitive Task Force is part of the Administration Division and handles the third area of responsibility, fugitives.  The task force is responsible for receiving and reviewing all fugitive warrants from Superior Court for placement in either NCIC or SCIC. Additionally, the task force prepares all Governors’ Warrants, Interstate Agreements on Detainers and whatever other documentation is necessary for the return of fugitives to this jurisdiction for criminal prosecution.  They also prepare the Waivers of Extradition for fugitives to be returned to other jurisdictions.  The Fugitive Task Force is also a member of the US Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force for the District of New Jersey.  As such, they are regularly involved in organized efforts to locate and apprehend active fugitive cases, not only in Salem County but also in southern New Jersey. 

The fourth area of responsibility for the Division is the investigation of all internal affairs complaints received by this office and the review of all internal affairs investigations conducted by the municipal police departments.