PARIS — Advocates hope that the addition of a new prosecutor to the District Attorney’s Office for Oxford County will help increase the rate of convictions in domestic violence cases and help combat domestic and sexual assault.

The three-year position is funded by a $781,800 grant to Lewiston-based Safe Voices, an anti-domestic violence nonprofit. The money was recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

In addition to the prosecutor, the grant will also help fund domestic violence and sexual assault advocates in South Paris and Rumford, expand education and community outreach programs and establish a case review board to improve protection for victims of crimes, according to Jane Morrison, executive director of Safe Voices. 

The grant is expected to help address a lack of manpower and resources recognized by members of the inter-agency Oxford County Domestic Violence Task Force.

“Many, many conversations have led us to the fact that we needed more staffing to really address the issue in Oxford County,” Cara Ouellette, Safe Voices’ director of outreach, said. 

She hopes a new prosecutor with an exclusive focus on domestic and sexual abuse will increase the number of convictions and elevate the severity of penalties for perpetrators.

 “I think everyone that’s in this grant would agree that the DA’s Office is overwhelmed with cases,” Ouellette sad. “At times, that can affect how effective you can be on a case if you have limited time to work on it.”

Assistant District Attorney Joe O’Connor, who has prosecuted cases in Oxford County since 1990, said domestic-related cases make up a substantial portion of his office’s caseload, along with motor vehicle-related offenses. 

The addition of a new prosecutor may help divide the workload placed on the office’s two full-time attorneys, O’Connor said. 

Oxford County has the lowest prosecutor-to-population ratio in the third prosecutorial district, which also includes Franklin and Androscoggin counties. 

According to O’Connor, there are nearly 29,000 people per prosecutor in Oxford County, compared to approximately 17,800 in Androscoggin and 15,400 in Franklin. 

The numbers don’t reflect the crime rates in the counties but do give a good idea of the number of cases the office is dealing with, O’Connor said. 

Several people have expressed interest in the position and the office hopes to bring the new attorney on board as soon as possible, O’Connor said. 

The prosecutor is expected play a role with the new case review panel, which also includes victim advocates and law enforcement representatives. 

“We determined if all of us who were involved in this process actually sat down and had even a brief conversation about it, it would really make a difference for the district attorney who is trying to get a positive outcome for the victim,” she said.

The panel is expected to examine cases and determine how victims can be better protected from further abuse. 

“Clearly, we’re not going to be reviewing every case; that would be impossible,” she said.

“It is not looking at ‘can we prosecute again,’ or ‘are we reopening the case,'” Ouellette said. “It is just to look at safety for the victims and how to improve the process.”

If victims of domestic violence see that more perpetrators are being held accountable and are being given harsher sentences, they may gain confidence in the system and be willing to report abuse that would otherwise go unrecorded, Morrison said.

“Frankly, someone gets picked up, they get a very low bail, if anything, and get put back on the street or they get a deferred disposition and all they have to do is be on probation for a while,” she said. 

“Meanwhile, it is a very dangerous situation for the victim,” she said.

Safe Voices operates a 24-hour hotline in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, conducts education and outreach and offers transitional services, assistance and counseling to victims of domestic abuse. It is partnering on the grant with Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, which also operates in the three counties.

Victims or those who know of victims of domestic violence or abuse may use the 24-hour Safe Voices helpline at 1-800-559-2927. 

Victims of sexual assault may use the SAPRS 24-hour hotline at 1-800-871-7741.

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