Clarissa Kell | Daily Press Members of the Victim Advocate Unit within the Delta County Prosecutor’s Office smile for a photo together in their office recently. Melissa Middaugh, Katie Menard and Madison Bagwell make up the unit for Delta County.

ESCANABA — What was once two, is now three — three victim advocates within the Delta County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Advocate Unit, that is. The Victim Advocate Unit, which is completely grant funded, saw a need within the Delta County community for another member to join the advocate unit.

“Unfortunately there is a lot of crimes where there’s a victim involved — and it’s the intimate crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, burglaries, home invasions, car accidents, assaults in general, but even things like retail fraud,” said Melissa Middaugh, the victim outreach coordinator. “All of those involve a victim on the other end of the crime. Ensuring that each victim who comes in contact with the justice process and this system — ensuring that they understand their rights in the process, understand and making sure they get the information they need in a timely manner, that their voices are heard along the way — it takes a lot of time, but it’s also really important.”

The Victim Advocate Unit works as a team to provide support in and out of courtroom proceedings for victims and survivors of all crimes.

The unit is part of the Delta County Prosecutor’s Office. Delta County Prosecutor Brett Gardner, who has worked with victim units for 39 years, said the expansion of the unit is an important recognition that victim advocacy units are not just necessary, but essential in helping victims’ journeys through the criminal justice system.

“A victim unit becomes the victim’s and their families’ lifeblood, not just throughout the process, but even after,” Gardner said. “To have a criminal justice system without victim advocates is not to have an effective criminal justice system at all. Many people think the justice system is about defendants, we think otherwise — it is about the victims.”

Before more funding through Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), a federal funding source for victim advocacy, became available in May the unit was only made up of Middaugh and Katie Menard.

“(VOCA) opened an opportunity halfway through the fiscal year ’19, so around May of 2019, providing access to more funds. And so I requested for a new position,” Middaugh said. “I feel like there’s a lot of children and youth who are either victims of crime or witness to crime, and we haven’t had the time to spend reaching out to them in particular.”

She explained the new position created was a child and youth victim advocate, which would work more closely in probate court and be a liaison between the prosecutor’s office and the Child Advocacy Center.

Menard, who used to be the unit’s victim witness coordinator, was suited more for the new position of child and youth victim advocate, so she applied and was awarded the new position.

“I think it’s exciting that we’re able to expand our unit. Since being here a year, we’ve seen the need within our community in trying to make sure that all voices of victims and survivors are heard and that they’re updated and know their rights in the different cases,” Menard said.

With Menard in the new position, the unit had to find someone to fill the victim witness coordinator position.

Madison Bagwell, a previous intern for the unit, was hired on as the victim witness coordinator.

According to Middaugh, Menard’s switch and Bagwell’s hiring was made official at the end of August.

The three individuals that make up the team have varying degrees of education and experience — but all have the same passion in helping the victims and survivors of crimes in Delta County.

Middaugh, who has a masters in business administration and is currently working on her PhD in international psychology, has been working in the field of advocacy for 17 years. She explained most of her experience is in international development, which is a lot like community development in terms of skill sets like helping vulnerable people have a voice.

Menard, who has her bachelor’s degree in social work and sociology and is currently working on her masters in social work, said she has around three years experience working with victims and survivors. She explained before working here in Delta County, she worked as a child and youth advocate at domestic violence shelters in Wisconsin.

Bagwell, who graduated from Bay College with an associates in criminal justice, started at the unit as an intern while she was still studying at Bay de Noc Community College in May.

According to Menard, Bagwell has been a great asset for the whole office from the get-go.