In the five years that Program Manager Missy Castillo has spent with Sutter County Victim Services, the organization has implemented several programs to help address the trauma that crime victims face.
As Castillo approaches her last few days with the department, she looks back on her work with law enforcement and the community with pride. After growing up in Sacramento County, Castillo got her start in victim advocacy while working for the Riverside County District attorney’s Office in 2016 before stepping into her role as program manager in 2018.
“When I was ready to leave Southern California, I was looking for a job in the victim services field up here in Northern California. I applied and interviewed a few times and was offered the position,” Castillo said.
Transitioning from victim advocate to program manager was an overwhelming experience for Castillo, who saw a vast difference in environment and culture between Sutter County and Riverside County.
“Going from one of the largest counties in California to a very small county that has different views, different perspectives and is just run differently was a little overwhelming taking all of that in. But also going from case work to management has its own learning curves,” Castillo said.
Under her position as program manager, Sutter County Victim Services was able to implement a comfort dog for the organization. Castillo said that getting a comfort animal was one of the department’s goals when she stepped into her role. Victim Services was able to approve a facility dog around fourth months into Castillo’s time as program manager.
Comfort dog Duke is a constant presence at Victim Services and provides care for child victims during the interview process. Duke will even take the stand in court if a child is called to testify, Castillo said previously.
Duke is one facet of Sutter County’s Child Advocacy Center, which was established in 2020 to improve the way young victims of crimes are interviewed. The center has two interview rooms, a viewing room, an office for a therapist and an open concept playroom/lobby area that lets children decompress after an interview. A child advocacy coordinator position was also created by the county to assist with the center, Castillo said.
“The process of interviewing children is not new, but just having a child-friendly space for children to be interviewed is new. That’s probably one of the largest accomplishments. It’s the first time Sutter County has had that,” Castillo said. “Our Child Advocacy Center is where we forensically interview children in a non-biased, child-friendly way to elicit the facts of any allegations.”
In addition to these programs, Victim Services has also organized community events geared toward awareness and recognition of crime victims. In April, the organization held a Child Abuse Prevention event where local partner agencies provided resources and educational material on child abuse prevention for families.
Castillo has also spoken during Sutter County’s annual Courage Awards, which acknowledges people who have shown bravery and resilience in the midst of a crime and the judicial aftermath. This year, Victim Services also held its first annual Day of Remembrance to pay homage to the lives lost due to violent crime, she said.
After five years serving Sutter County, Castillo is pursuing other endeavors with a private practice law firm. Along with seeing Victim Services expand, watching her staff grow as a team and advocate for victims has been the most rewarding aspect of her career, Castillo said.
“My season has ended here at Victim Services and it’s time for me to explore other options,” she said. “I just hope that the community knows that the program exists and that the staff here at Victim Services truly care about the best interest of victims and making sure that their rights are upheld and their voices are heard in the justice system.”
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