Our Programs
Silent Victims of Crime (SVC) serves children of inmates, their caregivers, and parents returning from prison with wrap-around services to foster healthy, more stable familial relationships and community ties. Originally established in 1996 in South Carolina, SVC expanded into South Florida in 2011 through a partnership with Children of Inmates (COI) and served over 1,100 children ages 5-18. In 2016, SVC also began partnering with Florida’s Federal Southern District Court’s CARE Court (Re-entry) Initiative to assist 17 high-risk returning citizens with their 33 children.
Since then, SVC has directly served more than 340 children as well as their caregivers and families. Of these, we have 38 alumni who have aged out of our program and successfully graduated from high school or college and/or secured gainful employment and 6 more graduated in the past year.
Currently, SVC is providing wraparound services for 85 children as well as 68 caregivers and family members throughout Miami-Dade County.
LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP is a program that we have developed to encourage our children to deal with issues relating to their family, as well as teach them their place in society as contributing members, not as victims or dependents on the system. We initiate volunteers to work with our children as mentors in their development as Teen Leaders. These volunteers can also be children of inmates or they can be educators or citizens who sympathize with this silent group of children and can work with them, providing them the skills they need to become Teen Leaders and positive contributing members of our society.
As part of our program, we also plan our monthly “Birthday Club” where we celebrate the children, many of whom have never had a birthday party in their life.
CARE Court (Pilot)
Since 2016, Silent Victims of Crime has been a part of the CARE Court (Re-entry) Pilot Initiative, of Florida’s Federal Southern District Court, will assist a smaller number of moderate to high risk returning citizens (10-15) who are on federal post-conviction supervision. A presiding Judge, with the aid of the United States Probation office with the supervision of CARE Initiative returning citizens by conducting bi-weekly court sessions and providing wrap-around services, as well as a mentor, to address the reintegration needs of each returning citizen.
Arts Programs
Youth Arts Programs are a critical part of our calendar of yearly activities. It has been shown that arts programs really can have an impact on young people. Not only can such programs enhance their attitudes about themselves and their futures, but the programs can also increase academic achievement and decrease delinquent behavior. SVC develops a variety of activities, including art, dance, theater, and music classes, which are an extension of our after school activities programs.
These are folded into our yearly activities calendar on a weekly, or bi-weekly, basis. Often, these are coordinated with our key partners, like The Boys and Girls Club, The Colombian Lions Clubs, FIU, and Clemson University. We are also delighted to be able to provide culturally enriching excursions for our children to the Perez Art Museum, Adrienne Arsht Center, and other local theaters and concert facilities, generously donated to our organization throughout the year.