The California Victims Resource Center is located on the McGeorge campus. McGeorge law students, under attorney supervision, provide assistance to victims, their families, service providers, and victim advocates. Primarily through the hotline and chat, Center staff and the McGeorge law students provide legal information and tailored resource referrals to victims and their families, victim service providers, and other victim advocates.

The CVRC has operated the State of California’s confidential, toll-free 1.800.VICTIMS line since 1984. Callers receive information on such matters as victim compensation, protection from defendant, notification of inmate release, victim restitution, victims’ constitutional rights in the criminal justice system (Marsy’s Law rights), civil suits, as well as information on specific rights of victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, elder abuse, child abuse, and abuse against people with disabilities. The VCRC is mandated by legislation, California Penal Code Section 13897, and is funded through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES).

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Contact Information
Learn More About Student Roles at the CVRC

Please contact Mariam El-menshawi, Esq., MBA, the director of the California Victims Resource Center.

Phone: 916.739.7050
Email: melmenshawi@pacific.edu

In addition to providing information and referrals, the CVRC provides legal research on victims’ issues for service providers. Upon request, the CVRC staff performs this special research. Past research topics have included prosecution of criminal cases by private parties; the charging of kidnapping as a special circumstance in murder; return of property held in evidence; subpoena access to Victims of Crime Act claim files; subpoena access to victim’s confidential records, statutory requirements for the amount a judge must order for restitution fines; types of expenses a victim can request under a restitution order, the appropriateness of victim impact statements in capital cases; and attendance of support people at court hearings and proceedings in sexual assault cases.

The CVRC also publishes and distributes thousands of free informational brochures and booklets on victims’ rights, which are widely used by law enforcement, community based and government based victim services organizations, court self-help centers, and libraries throughout the state. To request brochures, please call 1800VICTIMS (842.8467) or follow the link to order online.

Finally, the CVRC offers limited representation to victims of crime through the CVRC - Legal Center. Through this service, victims will be able to receive assistance from attorneys in exercising their rights at various stages in the criminal justice process (pre-trial, trial and post-trial). To get more information about the CVRC - Legal Center, please call 916.739.7056.