Prince George's County workgroup reviews expanded victim services, considers compensation and trauma centers

Prince George's County Council gun violence workgroup members heard a presentation on victim services and discussed a slate of recommendations to expand mental-health care, relocation assistance and community-based trauma support for homicide and gun-violence survivors.

The presentation was delivered by Nate Archie, victim services coordinator with the Prince George's County Police Department, who described a reimagined program launched in July 2024 that provides triage, information on victims’ rights and referrals to counseling, legal help and financial supports. "My job is to guide them through the process, explain to them their rights," Archie said, describing outreach that typically begins within 24 hours of notification and remains open as cases move to the state's attorney's office.

The discussion centered on four broad proposals: expanding the statewide victim compensation program to cover mental-health care, relocation expenses and lost wages; creating trauma recovery centers in areas with concentrated gun violence; increasing funding for community-based violence interrupter programs; and strengthening crisis-response teams and free mental-health access for survivors.

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