Cynthia Gachupin is a new advocate at Victims for Justice. She was hired as an executive assistant last fall but made it known shortly afterward that she would be interested in training to be a victim advocate. Cynthia took time for a brief interview so our readers and clients can get to know her. What follows are excerpts:
In a nutshell, what is your professional background and why did you choose that career path?
I have a BA in Human Services and have mostly had Admin Assistant positions over the last 15 years. Now that my kids are older, I can follow my passion/career path that I have always wanted to do.
Why did you decide you wanted to work for VFJ?
I had a family member that was murdered a few years ago in California. My family was able to utilize an organization like VFJ to help with expenses and counseling. When I saw that VFJ was hiring I was very excited to get the opportunity to work for this org.
What do you like most about this work?
I love that I can help and support people/families going through such difficult situations. Our work is so important and has so much purpose…
At the end of my workday, I can go home feeling as though I have made a difference.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time at VFJ?
I hope to continue my education in Advocacy and gain more experience. I would like to be the best Advocate that I can be and help the people/families that we serve.
How do you fill your free time (assuming you have any! 😊 I know as a working parent the concept of free time is aspirational at best!)?
I have three children between the ages of 6-15 and I spend most of my free time with them. We spend a lot of quality time indoors since the pandemic and my favorite thing to do is to have a “movie night” when new releases are streaming. We make popcorn, candy boxes, and bring out all our pillows/blankets for an at home “theater experience”.
Anything else about yourself that you would like to add? (How long you’ve been in Alaska, where you have lived outside the state if applicable, any foreign languages, volunteer experiences, etc
I grew up in southern California and moved to AK when I was 22. I’ve lived here for almost 16 years and have raised my kids in the Chugiak/Anchorage community.
The main job of a juror in a criminal trial is to apply the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defendants begin the trial process with a clean slate. In other words, they are presumed to be innocent of the crime they are accused of committing.
To overcome the presumption of innocence, the prosecution must prove every element of the crime or crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.
The requirement that the prosecution must prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is called the burden of proof. The defendant is not required to prove his or her innocence. And they have a right not to testify.Â
What is reasonable doubt? It’s a doubt about the defendant’s guilt that arises from the evidence presented, or from a lack of evidence. A reasonable doubt is a doubt based upon reason and common sense. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt must be proof so convincing that, after consideration, you would be willing to rely and act upon it without hesitation in your important affairs.
A defendant must never be found guilty based on mere suspicion, speculation, or guesswork.
What is proof beyond a reasonable doubt? It is the highest level of proof in our legal system. It is not enough that you believe a defendant is probably or likely guilty or even that the evidence shows a strong probability of guilt; the law requires more. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is proof that overcomes any reasonable doubt about the defendant’s guilt.
Golda Ingram is a new advocate at Victims for Justice. She was hired last fall and moved to Anchorage from Dillingham with her family to start the position, providing serves directly to innocent victims of violent crime. Golda took time for a brief interview so our readers and clients can get to know her. What follows are excerpts:
Q: How long have you lived in Alaska?
A: I am a Yup’ik and Aleut, Danish and Irish descendant. I was born and raised in Dillingham, Alaska. Bristol Bay has always been home.
Q: Have you lived outside the state?
A: I’ve lived in Salem, Oregon; Eielsen Air Force Base; Stanwood, Washington; and Milton, Florida. Of all, my favorite place is Washington.
Q: What is your professional background and why did you choose that career path?
A: I gained experience in the field of family social services through employment as the Tribal Victims Services Response Coordinator at the Bristol Bay Native Association. My history also includes working primarily with women and children who were victims of sexual assault and domestic violence through employment with Bristol Bay’s SAFE and Fear Free Environment. In light of Covid 19, I decided to complete a Paralegal Certificate Completion Program through the Center for Legal Studies in collaboration with California State University, Monterey Bay. I graduated in the spring of 2021.
Q: Why did you decide you wanted to work for VFJ?
A: I appreciate the groundwork that Victims For Justice is able to provide for clients and our ability to assist navigating through the criminal justice system is what makes VFJ stand out.
Q: What do you like most about this work?
A: I enjoy the trust this work and organization require. Although we may each have different experiences, as a Crime Victim Advocate we are trained to assist our clients in identifying and addressing their individual needs whether that’s providing a compassionate ear, answering crime questions, navigating through the criminal justice system and offering an array of community social services tailored specifically by VFJ’s Advocates.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish during your time at VFJ?
A: I hope to accomplish a well-rounded career path geared towards community support to help vulnerable Alaskans identify their immediate needs to help restore justice and overall safety in our community.
Q: How do you fill your free time?
A: I am a working mother of two. My oldest is 17 and my youngest is 2. As the weather warms, I plan to find new favorite parks and hiking trails and beaches to explore in Southcentral Alaska.
After nearly four years without a children’s grief program in Alaska, the state is poised to get one.
Forget Me Not Grief Center of Alaska is opening next month. Starting in January 2022, Forget Me Not Grief Center will begin holding grief support groups for children ages 6 – 17. Adult groups will also take place.
These peer-driven support services are offered free of change and are geared toward children, teens, and families who are grieving the death of loved ones.
If you are interested in learning more, email forgetmenot.griefcenter@gmail.com or check out their website. Volunteers are needed. They complete 15 hours of training and commit to at least one year of service. This is approximately 3 1/2 hours, twice a month.
The vast majority of violent crimes in Alaska in 2020 were aggravated assaults, about 69 percent of the total.
That lines up with national statistics too. According to the FBI’s annual data, aggravated assault is the most common violent crime in the U.S. It’s also the most likely to be reported to law enforcement.
What is an aggravated assault?
It’s defined as an attack or attempted attack with a weapon, regardless of whether an injury occurred, and an attack without a weapon when serious injury results. Serious injury includes broken bones, lost teeth, internal injuries, loss of consciousness, and any unspecified injury requiring two or more days of hospitalization.
To be threatened by a weapon means the perpetrator has threated or attempted to attack a victim with a gun, knife or any other object that could potentially inflict a serious of fatal injury.
Assaults may be classified as aggravated or simple. Factors that can raise a simple assault to an aggravated one include the use of a weapon, the type of victim, the perpetrator’s intent, and the degree of the victim’s injuries.
A total of 4,215 aggravated assaults were reported in Alaska in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. Some 8,791 cases of simple assault were also reported. Simple assault includes all assaults that do not involve use of a gun, knife, cutting instrument, or other dangerous weapon and in which the victim does not sustain serious or aggravated injuries.
As daylight grows shorter and the holidays approach, the winter season can be a difficult time for those who have lost a loved one to homicide. That’s one of the reasons why Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM) is marked every year from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20.
Every year, SHVAM is held in communities across the nation to draw attention to the traumatic impacts of homicide on families and individuals, and to amplify the voices of survivors of homicide victims.
The Anchorage Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson have officially recognized Survivors of Homicide Awareness Month (SHVAM) with a resolution passed unanimously at the December 7 Assembly meeting.
The resolution notes that 48 homicides occurred in Alaska last year. Eighteen of them happened in Anchorage.
Losing a loved one to homicide is one of the most traumatic events a person can experience and the impacts are deep and wide ranging.
“Homicide victims are loved and grieved by mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, partners, grandparents, aunts, uncles, extended family members, friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, and communities across the country,” the resolution says.
It calls on Anchorage community members to respond to all “families suffering in the aftermath of a homicide with compassion and support services.”
“To all surviving family members of homicide victims in Anchorage, you are not alone. Your community joins you in your pain and offers empathy,” the resolution concludes.
If you wish to support services to the survivors of Alaska homicide victims, especially during SHVAM 2021, there’s a button on our website’s home page where you can donate. It’s also here. Thank you for your generous support.
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