PRIORITIES

Anton is committed to creating a safer Hampton by focusing on two key pillars: 1) Strong Prosecution and 2) Strategic Preventative Programs. To achieve this vision, the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office has taken a proactive approach to tackling crime and youth violence. By collaborating with the Hampton Police Department, Hampton City Public Schools, the YMCA, the Exchange Club, and various church and civic organizations, the office has worked to address these challenges head-on. Through these partnerships, Anton aims to not only hold offenders accountable but also implement initiatives that prevent crime and support the community’s youth.

TASKFORCE AND COMMITTEES

Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Taskforce
Hampton Family Violence Council
Hampton Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)
Hampton Multidisciplinary Team
Peninsula Elder Abuse Council

JUNIOR COMMONWEALTH'S
ATTORNEY PROGRAM (JCAP)

In an effort to reduce crime and violence, early intervention research programs such as the Junior Commonwealth’s Attorney Summer Program (JCAP) work to strengthen crime prevention and educational outreach. This free opportunity allows students a chance to engage and interact with criminal justice professionals such as law enforcement and attorneys. Students participate in an exciting and engaging curriculum to include courtroom observations and field trips to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hampton Police Department, Virginia State Capitol, Hampton Courts, Hampton 911 Center and Office of the Attorney General.

For the past several years Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell has hosted a summer youth enrichment camp called the Junior Commonwealth's Attorney Program, better known as JCAP. It is a weeklong program where students are exposed to various working professionals within the criminal justice fields. More than a prosecutor, Mr. Bell has dedicated his time to youth outreach and mentorship through this FREE law-related education program, where high school students from local public and private institutions gain an overview of the criminal justice system. The Junior Commonwealth's Attorney Program hosts 50 students from the Hampton Roads area.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR

Every April, the Hampton Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney and Victim Services Unit commemorates National Crime Victims' Rights Week. This year the office promoted community awareness of crime victims' rights and services by hosting the first Your Commonwealth Cares Community Resource Fair at Darling Stadium.

OPERATION CEASEFIRE

Operation Ceasefire is a violence reduction strategy aimed to combat the rise in gang/group related violence. It involves partnerships between law enforcement, community leaders, and social service providers to address the root causes of violence and engage directly with those involved parties. The Hampton strategy has three major components: prevention, intervention and enforcement.

The prevention component offers two programs within our office, the Junior Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Summer Program (JCAP) and the Educating Kids About Gun Violence Program (EKG). JCAP is a week long summer program where students across the Hampton Roads area are exposed to different career paths within the criminal justice field.

The intervention component of Operation Ceasefire offers free counseling resources in a group setting for victims or witnesses of crime in the city of Hampton between the ages of 12-25. The youth support group, called Caviar Club, provides necessary mental health services to address the traumatic experiences of youth and young adults. Caviar Club will help identify healthy, effective coping techniques and skills geared to mitigating feelings of fear, anxiety, pain and loss.

The enforcement component of Operation Ceasefire will introduce Group Violence Intervention Call-Ins (GVI). GVI Call-ins communicate three points: A community moral message against violence, a credible law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence, and a genuine offer to help those who want it. Call-ins are by invitation only where each participant will be offered assistance with education, employment, counseling, and healthcare. Each will be warned that from this point forward they will be targeted for vigorous prosecution if the violence does not cease.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAM

Restorative Justice is a program designed to hold defendants accountable and help them understand how their behavior has affected others. The goal of the Restorative Justice Program (RJP) is to promote healing among the victims, defendants, and communities impacted by crime. Restorative Justice is a face-to-face conference attended by the defendant, victim, and other potential stakeholders. A trained Restorative Justice facilitator runs the conference.

The restorative conference allows for affected individuals to come together to:

Hear what happened.
Understand different perspectives.
Learn how everyone has been impacted.
Decide how to repair the harm.

SENIOR CARE PROGRAM

The Senior CARE Program serves citizens of the community over 60 years of age who are particularly vulnerable to crime and becoming victims of crime. This program centralizes outreach and engagement with seniors throughout the community. This program provides:

Community activities.
Weekly communication that encompass available resources.
Education on safety plans.
The emotional and physical well-being is a priority.
Facilities community engagement to promote a sense of belonging.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOPE CARD

HOPE Cards are durable, wallet-sized cards available to petitioners in family abuse protective orders when a final order of protection has been entered. HOPE Cards list the provisions included in a final protective order and are designed for petitioners’ convenience. The size of a credit card, HOPE Cards are an easier way for petitioners to keep active protective orders on their person at all times. HOPE Cards also make identification of protected parties easier for law enforcement, and alert officers if a weapon was involved.

HISPANIC OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT

This program develops and delivers preventative education programs on a variety of topics including but not limited to Victim Services to empower the Hispanic community and other underserved populations by ensuring equal access to resources. Awareness is raised on priority issues through outreach and communication activities including radio, blogs, community events, presentations/trainings, social media engagement and community development.

HOMICIDE SURVIVORS SUPPORT GROUP

This group supports adults who have lost a loved one through the criminal actions of another. Sessions are facilitated by a licensed clinician who meets with participants bi-weekly for 15 sessions. This support group is open to past and present survivors in Hampton and surrounding areas.

LETHALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM — LAP

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) is an innovative approach used to help identify victims of domestic violence who are at the highest risk (high danger) of being seriously injured or killed by their intimate partners. Based on evidence that victims who access domestic violence services reduce their risk for serious injury/homicide, LAP provides an “immediate, consistent, and proportional response” through use of a two-stage protocol: (1) a standardized, evidence-based lethality assessment tool is used by trained law enforcement officers in response to an intimate partner domestic violence call to identify victims in high danger of serious injury or homicide, and (2) identified victims are immediately connected to a local domestic violence service program through a local domestic violence hotline. This protocol can also be expanded for use by other first responders such as health care professionals.