Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Victim Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tooele victim advocate reports multi-year state funding and recent cases, including a domestic-violence homicide
Summary
Belin Matson, Tooele victim advocate, told the council state funding will now be awarded for two-year cycles; she summarized recent cases including a domestic-violence homicide (sentence 22 years to life) and two child-abuse convictions (sentences of 10 years to life).
Belin Matson, Tooele City’s victim advocate, updated the council Wednesday on the city’s state-funded court victim-advocate program and recent casework, and she told council members that state funding will move from annual to two-year grant cycles starting this July.
Why it matters: Matson said the change reduces administrative burden because she will not need to reapply for the same grant every year; the two-year award allows the city to plan staffing and services for victims over a longer period.
Matson told the council she has used state funding for two years and described her role assisting victims through the judicial process. She recounted recent cases handled by her office, with the victims’ permission to share portions of their statements. Matson read part of a victim’s mother’s victim-impact statement about a domestic-violence homicide: “I just froze. Then I screamed as loud as I could and fell to the ground,” she said, then quoted the mother describing a 2-year-old asking, “When can I see mommy? Where is mommy?” Matson said the defendant in that case was sentenced to 22 years to life.
Matson also summarized two cases that involved sexual abuse of a child in which defendants pled guilty to first-degree felonies. She said one survivor told her, "I have spent 19 years of my life too afraid to speak, but now I have." Both defendants in those cases were sentenced to 10 years to life, Matson said.
Council response: Council members thanked Matson for her work and for helping victims navigate the legal process. No formal council action was taken; Matson asked if there were questions and none were raised beyond expressions of appreciation.
Context and sources: Matson cited Allianceforchildren.org to note that more than 90% of child-abuse victims are abused by someone they know, a statistic she used to explain barriers to disclosure. The update is informational and relates to the city’s use of state-funded victim-advocate resources.
