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July 28, 2026 Discussion:  The Victim Witness Grant is essential to ensuring that victims and witnesses of crime receive timely, compassionate, and comprehensive services throughout their involvement with the criminal justice system.  Individuals impacted by crime often face emotional trauma, financial hardship, safety concerns, and uncertainty while navigating complex legal processes. Providing dedicated advocacy and support helps reduce these barriers and promotes meaningful participation in the justice system.  Grant funding helps provide victim-centered services, including crisis intervention, safety planning, court accompaniment, case updates, referrals to community resources and assistance with victim compensation applications. Funding also supports collaboration with community partners to improve access to services and increase awareness of victims’ rights.  The grant will enhance public safety, improve victims’ outcomes, and ensure compliance with victims’ rights requirements. Financial Impact:  No local match is required as a condition of the funding. Recommended Action:  Adoption of the ordinance. Strategic Pillar #4: Safe, Connected, and Thriving Community. Next Steps Following Council Action:  The Finance Department will make the appropriate budget adjustments. “ORDINANCE ACCEPTING A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $564,882 FROM THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES AND APPROPRIATING SAID AMOUNT IN THE FY 2027 GRANTS FUND FOR USE BY THE COMMONWEALTH’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE VICTIM WITNESS PROGRAM. ” 26-178d: Adoption of an ordinance accepting a grant in the amount of $679,283 from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and appropriating said funds in the FY 2027 Grants Fund to operate local probation and pretrial services in Portsmouth. Background:  Local community-based probation agencies (Community Corrections) were created in 1995 by the Comprehensive Community Corrections Act (CCCA, §9.1-173 COV) and are a core component of the local criminal justice system. They were created to provide an alternative to incarceration for persons convicted of certain misdemeanors or non-violent felonies for which sentences would be 12 months or less in a local or regional jail.  Pretrial Services agencies are a core component of the local criminal justice system. In 1995, Pretrial Services Agencies were authorized by statute with the passage of the Pretrial Services Act (PSA, § 19.2-152.2 COV). Pretrial services agencies provide information and investigative services to judicial officers to help them decide whether persons charged with certain offenses and awaiting trial need to be held in jail or can be released to their communities subject to supervision.  State funding enables Portsmouth Community Corrections and Pretrial Services to provide quality supervision to defendants and non-violent offenders in the community and directly impact the jail population.