Community Violence Services
Who do we serve?
If you have experienced a crime in DC and would like help navigating the criminal legal process, we can help! This includes helping:
Family Members of Homicide Victims
Survivors of Hate Crime
Survivors of Physical Assault
How can you access our services?
Call 202-742-1727
Use our NEW Self-Referral Site
About Community Violence Services
Our Community Violence Services are focused on increasing the availability of free crime victims’ rights (CVR) representation in DC, especially to people who have experienced a hate crime, the homicide of a loved one, or a physical assault by helping fund CVR attorneys and advocates at NVRDC.
CVR attorneys help survivors understand and assert their rights as a crime victim in DC and explain the choices available at each step in the criminal legal process. More specifically, our CVR attorneys can help survivors of crimes in DC:
By providing brief legal advice - if you have a question about your case, or just want to learn more about what to expect going forward, one of our CVR attorneys can answer your questions in a 30 minute phone call.
By providing full legal representation - if a prosecutor has charged the person who harmed you with a crime, one of our attorneys may be able to help you in your case. If we have an attorney available, one of our attorneys could be assigned to you to represent you during the criminal case. Many clients find this helpful because our attorneys can help explain and enforce your rights as a crime victim, explain what is happening in the criminal case, and help you communicate with prosecutors, law enforcement, and other persons that are involved in a criminal investigation or prosecution.
By assisting at any part of the criminal legal process - from initial reporting to the police, to a criminal trial, sentencing and appeals. If you are the survivor of a crime and have questions about your rights at any point in the criminal legal process, we can help!
Access Community Violence Services
Call our intake line at 202-742-1727, or
You can use our NEW self-referral site to schedule a 30 minute overview of your rights and consultation with an NVRDC attorney!
Simply click here, choose a time that you would like to be contacted, and fill out the information requested. During this call, if it becomes clear that you are in need of full representation, the attorney will talk to you about a referral to ongoing legal services.
To learn more about Community Violence Services, its impact, and how we’ve adapted during Covid-19, read on!
Despite the past COVID-19 court closures and the effective delay of nearly all criminal matters, RISE attorneys are able to help victims by providing advice on how to navigate the current COVID-19 environment, advocating with prosecutors to file formal charges or hate crime enhancements, and seeking or reconsidering claims for compensation from the District's Crime Victims Compensation Program (CVC).
To learn more about NVRDC’s Community Violence Services, please contact Sarah Taylor, NVRDC’s Project Coordinator & Advocacy Specialist. To request a crime victims’ rights training for your DC agency or organization, email RISE@nvrdc.org.