The Prosecution of my Future
Jasmine Sronkoski
OVERVIEW
The Dubuque County Courthouse, built in
1891, serves as the center of county
government offices. Located at 720 Central
Avenue, the courthouse is on the National
Register of Historic Places. The courthouse is
known to many offices, especially the County
Attorneys Office on the 4th floor. This office
prosecutes all state crime violations in
Dubuque County.
INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION
My role as the intern was to work directly
under the Victim and Witness Coordinators in
the Attorneys Office. Dubuque has two
Victim/Witness coordinators, one who oversees
all criminal charges aside from domestics, and
the other coordinator who only oversees
domestic cases. While I worked for both
coordinators, my main supervisor was Kristi
Oberhoffer, whom oversaw all victims and
witnesses in domestic abuse cases. The role of
the Victim/Witness coordinator is to be middle
man between victims and/or witnesses and
the prosecuting attorneys. Due to attorneys
extensive schedules, the victim/witness
coordinator handles the following duties:
Meet with victims/witnesses personally to
gather information on the pending criminal
charge
Enter information to Iowa Judicial Branch
electronic filing system
Refer individuals to Way Point for a
Domestic Violence Victim Services
Communicate with the prosecuting attorney
Appear in court when needed
Inform victims/witnesses of their rights in a
criminal case
As the intern in the office, I was able to
perform all of these duties and many more
through 300 plus hours of work, from August
2015 to January 2016.
LORAS.EDU
Dubuque County Attorneys Office
Criminal Justice, Dr. Len Decker
GOALS
1. Improve communication skills
2. Become educated about the legal
system
3. Learn about services provided to
community members
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES
In the Office
A large portion of my time at the courthouse
was spent in the County Attorneys Office. I
worked mainly on case files, entering
information, handling phone calls, running My badge to enter into the Courthouse, a case file, and
a victim/witness letter the office sends out to inform
errands for the attorneys and so much more.
individuals of their rights in the case.
While working on the case files, I became
educated in reading police documents and the
flow of a criminal charge through the office.
The case file is moved between a handful of CONCLUSIONS
individuals, which is why it was so important Overall, my experience at the Dubuque County
to stay consistent with documentation. Attorneys Office was a great way to begin my
field work. I achieved all three of my goals
A little after the halfway mark of my through the many opportunities I was provided.
internship, my supervisor left on maternity My communication skills were enhanced, as well
leave. Essentially, I moved into her office, as my self confidence, through this process. I
handled her clientele, and began to take on a was communicating with individuals on a daily
multitude of her responsibilities. I was able to basis from attorneys to secretaries to
experience the full role of the Victim/Witness victims/witnesses and anyone in between. I had
Coordinator. the benefit of filling in for my supervisor which
was extremely educational. This literally placed
In The Courtroom my work site in an individual office with the
When I was not in the office, I spent much of privacy and respect that is typically given to a
my time in the courtroom. While the venue full-time employee.
may have been the same, each trial was
unique. I was able to experience the
I was able to become educated about legal
courtroom for what it truly was; formal,
system processes, as well as, numerous services
unpredictable, emotional, and exciting. Each
the Dubuque community provides its citizens.
trial I picked a new perspective to look from,
whether it be the judge, attorney, defendant,
victim, or the jury, each had different My internship with the Dubuque County
experiences. The difference between the Attorneys office only confirmed my area of
office and courtroom was I was able to see my study and that I love to work with others. It
hard work in the office play out in the makes me hopeful for my future in the Criminal
courtroom in providing justice. Justice field.
Dubuque County Courthouse: North Courtroom Thank you to the Dubuque County Attorneys Office and Dr.
Decker for overseeing my internship.