Area victim rights advocate to retire

For nearly three and a half decades, Joyce Kaufman has been there for the innocents whose lives have been upended by crime.

Now, after her long tenure as the victim rights advocate for the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, Kaufman is retiring to spend more time with family and friends. The county will honor her years of service with a party at the conclusion of the 1:30 p.m. Monday commissioner’s meeting at the Brammer Building, 1225 Idaho St. The public is invited.

Kaufman’s career began in the mid 1980s when victim rights were a brand new addition to state law. She worked for the Tobiason and Dokken law firm, and became the county’s first victim/witness assistant when owners Steven Tobiason and David Dokken sold their practice to become the county prosecutor and deputy prosecutor, respectively.

“At that time, I was working for their private practice, and they knew they were going to have to start victims’ rights and do the notifications of all the rights that they’re afforded under Idaho code,” Kaufman said.

The field of victim advocacy has evolved greatly over the years since. When she and Tobiason first set up the county’s program, he was able to get her some training through the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

“Then, at some point Steve said, ‘I think that the advocates should start their own association, like the prosecutors. Then you can get training specific to you,’ ” she said.

So Tobiason and former Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower got the ball rolling with some seed money from the prosecutor’s association. They recruited victim advocates from other counties to form the Idaho Victim Witness Association, which now provides training statewide.

Collaborating with Bower and his much bigger county was key, Kaufman added, because they had the resources to send advocates to conferences and seminars.

“Ada County always had a lot more money than Nez Perce County,” she said. “So what was great about our association was they could go to the national training, then come back to our Idaho association and give us a training based on what they learned.”

Originally, there were seven rights in Idaho’s victim rights law. It required prosecutors to present a letter to the victims spelling out those rights as soon as criminal charges are filed. Many more rights were added in the following years, with 18 now listed on the letter. Kaufman recently dug up an old copy of the seven original rights, which included the important safety measure of notifying victims whenever a perpetrator is released from custody.

Making sure that right is strictly enforced is still a big part of Kaufman’s job. A typical day in her office starts early with the examination of the list of new inmates at the county jail. If any of the alleged crimes involve a victim, she prepares a memo for the sheriff’s office with their contact information so they can be notified if the defendant is released on their own recognizance, bonds out or escapes.

“A victim’s rights start as soon as a criminal charge is filed,” Kaufman said of the process.

After the defendant is arraigned, usually later that same day, her office will call the victim to update them on the status of the case, talk about any no-contact orders and a safety plan, let them know they may be entitled to restitution, and give them referrals for counseling.

Victim rights continue to evolve. Idaho’s law allows judges to impose a $5,000 punitive fine specifically for victims of the most violent crimes, and the Legislature added offenses like attempted rape, attempted murder and domestic violence to the list in 2019. But Kaufman said it should continue to grow.

“I think there’s still other charges that can be added to that, like stalking,” she said. “That’s a crime that is very egregious. So there’s always something that victims would like more. I think it can always be expanded.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused backups in the courts, so a new part of the victim rights notification is to explain why some cases take so long to resolve. She also teaches people how to use technology — like Zoom teleconferencing — so they can do things like testify and make victim impact statements remotely.

The right to make a statement is another critical right afforded by Idaho’s law, Kaufman said, because judges do take them into account when deciding what sentence to impose.

“I think it’s important for victims, if they are able, to make a victim impact statement at the sentencing, either in writing or verbally,” she said. “It’s their opportunity to tell the judge how the crime has impacted them. And I think it’s important for the judges to hear that.”

Considering the subject matter, Kaufman’s job is often emotionally wrenching. So a critical component of advocate training involves how to stay healthy. And Kaufman said a big part of that is making sure to keep her work life and private life separate. And she has been sure to keep herself busy outside the office with things like quilting, crafting, camping and cruising.

“That’s why I’m very thankful to Nez Perce County,” she said. “I couldn’t have done my job without Nez Perce County or the prosecutors making it so I could go to the training that I needed.”

Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com.