Fresno State Program to Focus on Crime Victim Aid

Beginning in the fall, California State University, Fresno, will become the only campus in the United States to formally train students to help victims of crimes and other traumatic experiences.

With implementation of the university’s victim services certification program, Fresno State will begin a coordinated program to train and certify students studying for certain career fields to deal with and help victims.

The program is headed by Otto Tocchio, professor and chairman of the Fresno State criminology department.

Saw a Need

He, John Dussich, a former faculty member, and Shareen Abramson, assistant professor of education at the university, developed the program because they saw the need.

“The need for victim services training has emerged recently along with awareness of victims and their special requirements,” Tocchio said. “Most students in criminal justice professions and a number of other career fields deal with victims on a regular basis, some of them almost daily.”

Tocchio said the victims aid program is not only for criminology students.

“The object of the certification program is to teach students who will deal regularly with victims how to handle the situations,” Tocchio said.

Besides criminology students, he said the victims services certification will be geared toward those going into counseling, probation work, therapy and teaching.

“All of those people need to be trained to deal with the victims of the world,” he said.