TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The Travis County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday that it has established the Division of Victim Services to help prioritize the needs of victims across departments within the DA's office.
The new division will be led by Neva Fernandez, who previously served as manager of victim services, part of the special victims unit. According to a release from the DA's office, the new division is tasked with ensuring that victims of interpersonal violence and trauma know that reporting their incidents will not mean they are retraumatized, ignored or accused of not being credible.
The announcement comes during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The victim services function was previously part of the special victims unit. Moving the team into its own division elevates the role and further enables counselors to help implement the office's victim policies, the DA's office said.
“If we are serious about prioritizing the needs of victims, we need to prioritize how we resource the services and policies designed to support them,” District Attorney José Garza said. “Establishing a standalone victim services division and establishing Neva Fernandez as a director on our senior leadership team is a critical step to make sure all victims are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The new division is just another step the DA's office said it has taken to help ensure survivors are treated in such regard. The first step was hiring Erin Martinson as director of the Special Victims Unit, as well as Fernandez. The two have developed the office's victim policies, which outline how to prioritize the needs of victims who seek the office's help and ensure access to justice for victims and survivors.
Fernandez has served with the Travis County DA's Office since the beginning of the year. Prior to joining the DA's office, Fernandez served as advocacy manager in the Crime Victims Program at the Texas Legal Service Center. She was also previously a senior victim counselor at the DA's office. Fernandez currently serves as a commissioner on Austin's Commission for Women and was a co-chair for the Austin/Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team.
“I am honored to get to work as a new director in the District Attorney’s Office and look forward to continuing the important work of serving victims who engage with our office,” said Fernandez. “By establishing victim services as its own division, the District Attorney’s Office is ensuring that the voices of victims are centered in decisions about policy and resource allocation.”
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