Crime Victims Assistance Network ICAN

The Crime Victims Assistance Network (I-CAN) was created in 2007 to assist victims of violent crime. Victims of crime often fall through the cracks, not receiving the assistance they need simply because they are unaware of resources available to them. Additionally, many victims are unable to access services due to barriers to accessing services including money and transportation. I-CAN helps to connect victims with the assistance they need. In addition to the services I-CAN offers, (counseling, therapy, assistance filing for victim compensation funds, advocacy, general information and resource information) I-CAN aims to surrounds victims with as much community support as possible. I-CAN is a mobile agency, in an effort to break down one more barrier that victims encounter in trying to obtain assistance. Our parole program offers a service that no other non-profit agency in the state regularly offers, we assist victims through the parole hearing process. In our observations at parole hearings we discovered that victims were showing up to prisons without any knowledge of what to expect, unprepared, and with no support. I-CAN developed the parole hearing assistance program and received a grant to operate the program statewide.