The Homicide Family Support Group helping, victims' families and prosecutors.

• Author: David, Ben
• Position: North Carolina

SPEAKING FOR THE DEAD is an awesome responsibility. For prosecutors handling a murder case, giving victims a voice in the courtroom can be especially daunting. Not only must we flesh out the humanity of a person we have never met, but much of our time, both leading up to the trial and during it, can be consumed by counseling family members of the deceased. For these relatives, an added layer of anger, fear, and uncertainty is mixed into the equation as they wonder who will be held responsible, what will happen in court, and whether their wishes will be considered.

In Wilmington, North Carolina, where I serve as district attorney, a group of ordinary citizens meets once a month to help victims' families through their grief when a death occurs. Having been in existence for over a decade, the Homicide Family Support Group (HFSG) helps the prosecutors and victim witness assistants who handle these cases almost as much as it benefits the family members.

The HFSG is made up entirely of victims' relatives who have experienced the tragic loss of loved ones taken through acts of violence, ranging from driving while impaired offenses to first degree capital murder cases. Family members counsel each other through their grief and, in the process, learn about the road ahead as the case winds its way through the bizarre and unfamiliar territory of the criminal justice system.

The group meets one evening a month away from the courthouse. Everyone must sign a confidentiality pledge to enter the room. Media is strictly forbidden. Pizza is served and child care is provided. No professional counselors are present and participants are cautioned that the HFSG is not intended to replace the counseling that many require from psychologists, psychiatrists, pastors or other professionals. The only professionals in the room are a senior prosecutor and a victim witness legal assistant who answer general questions about the court process but stay away from the business of counseling.

Family members provide the healing, going around the room telling the others what has brought them to the group. There is no script for the meeting and everyone is told that there is no right way to feel. For returning members, many simply talk about the good and bad things that have happened in their lives over the preceding month. Members are told not to discuss the facts of a specific case, other than to give a brief description of the date of loss and manner of death. If they have...