Victim Assistance Coordinator Referral Letter

Victims often do not know their rights post-conviction, how to exercise them, or who to contact for information and referrals regarding their rights and available resources. The VAC Referral Letter offers Victim Assistance Coordinators (VAC) an opportunity to provide victims whose offenders have been sentenced to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) with information and to make a referral to the TDCJ Regional Victim Services Coordinator (RVSC) in their region.

The link below is intended to be a customizable template that VACs can use to help explain victims’ rights post-conviction and connect victims to the Victim Services Division of the TDCJ. The template includes contact information for the TDCJ RVSC who can provide information and assistance to victims throughout the post-conviction stage of the criminal justice system. After the defendant is sentenced, the VAC can customize the letter to meet their needs and send the referral letter to the victim and cc the RVSC on the email. In doing so, the victim is introduced the RVSC in their region and has their contact information.

Link to the Victim Assistance Coordinator Referral Letter: https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/documents/Victim_Referral_Introduction_Email_Template_for_District_and_County_Attorneys_Offices.docx

To identify the RVSC in your region, please visit the RVSC webpage: https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/divisions/vs/regional_vs_coordinators.html