| Taking Care of Yourself and Your Family Checklist |
| If you are reading this and the criminal case involving you or your family member is passing its first anniversary from the day of the criminal act without a resolution in sight, you need to consider steps to take care of your self. This checklist is intended to help bring forward issues you may need to consider to assure that there is a sense of balance in your life. This checklist is not complete checklist for you. This checklist may inadvertently omit issues and concerns in your case. However, use this checklist with someone who will listen to you and guide you. To recommend changes email me at
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(Note: All links provided through the following sources: State of Arizona State Legislature, Parents of Murdered Children, Homicide Survivors, Inc., of Tucson, MaricopaCounty Superior Court, Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Arizona Victims Services, Arizona Voice for Crime Victims.Glicksman Law Offrices, Tucson. The face sheet and checklists provided below are based on original concepts authored by Mike Durham, 3/2010.) |
| Issues |
Type |
Frequency |
Result |
Likely Resources |
| 1. Threats from suspect 1.a. These threats are substantiated by the actual physical presence of the suspect and can be documented or corroborated. 1.b. Police reports substantiate your claims. 1.c. Friends, family or other witnesses support your observations. |
Are they immediate and physical? Does the suspect come within 500 feet of you? Face to face confrontations? Threats with weapons? Are they harassing phone calls? Emails? Text messages? Regular mail? |
What is the frequency of these threats? Is the frequency constant or decreasing or increasing? |
You are afraid to leave your house. You are constantly calling the police. You feel extremely anxious, nervous. You feel you have to move. You feel you have to stop cooperating with police. |
1. Police complaints 2. Use ARS 13-2923. Stalking; classification; definitions as a basis of your complaint. 3. File for a restraining order on the suspect with the court system. Find out from your county or city attorney how to file a restraining order. See example: Maricopa County Justice Court Restraining Order Information. |
| 2. Loneliness |
You are afraid of being around people … anyone. You have changed your daily or weekly schedule to avoid seeing people you used to know. You don't think others understand you anymore. You don't attend social, religious and business functions, in whole or part. |
Note which activity under the frequency descriptor below: All the time Frequently Occasionally Seldom Never |
You are increasingly by yourself. You avoid meeting with old friends, family members. You avoid meeting new people. You don't go to church or social activities. You don't do something to get out of the rut. |
1. Support groups Parents of Murdered Children Chapter Search Tucson Homicide Survivors, Inc. Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence 2. Personal resources Your doctor Your mental health counselor |
| 3. Police are not getting back to you. |
A. They complain that: 1. You take up too much of their valuable time. 2. You need to accept the criminal act in your life and carry on with your life. 3. You are denied reports. 4. You need to get over “it.” 5. You or the victim did something illegal and deserved the illegal consequence. 6. You or the victim were acting in a “suicidal” manner. B. A new officer is assigned to your case every two years without notification. C. Administrators of the cold case unit want to give “everyone an equal chance.” D. You are being fed back your words as their answers and they are not discussing any case progress. |
Interviews are not being done. Evidence is not collected. You are “blackballed” from receiving new reports or updated reports. Police seem to ignore your victim's rights. You have to re-explain the case to a new officer. The last officer “retired.” Is the type of police action preventing you from providing information about your case to them? You cannot find out if the case was reviewed by prosecutors. You cannot find out what evidence is lacking. |
Is the type of police action preventing you from providing information about your case to them? You need a break from them and they need a break from you. |
Contact Victim Services appropriate to your situation: Arizona Victim Services Listings File a complaint with the government entity through your city councilman, county representative, the investigating agency itself. Contact a legal advocate such as: Arizona Voice for Crime Victims Exercise your right to a lawful representative: See ARS Inability to exercise rights; lawful representatitive Contact your county attorney's office or the state attorney general's office. |
| 4. You are running out of time for filing a civil suit |
Civil Suit |
Time for filing is disappearing |
Frustration over lack of sense of justice |
Contact your local bar association or, for example, Glicksman Law Tucson Read this: 12-511. Civil action arising from criminal conduct; definitions |
