Crystal Cushing, Court Advocate: "We all put a lot of miles in to help survivors to be safe"

As NextStep’s court advocate for Washington County for the past five years, Crystal Cushing has had to do quite a bit of adjusting to be able to help survivors who are going to court during the COVID pandemic. She is that helpful someone who is there to offer encouragement and support to survivors in court, which can be a very intimidating place for a survivor to be; encountering their abuser.

 With courts closed or hours severely reduced, Crystal’s role has evolved to be able to help in  ways outside of the courtroom. “Whereas many staff have been working from home during this period out of necessity, I have been physically working from our Machias office right along,” she said. Being in such a rural area, “going to court through Zoom” has been a blessing to those who don’t have to travel long distances to appear. However, Zoom presents its own set of challenges. “I help survivors who come to our office learn how to navigate with the different virtual platforms like Zoom and we can also give them internet access from our office if they don’t have it at home. I schedule appointments to help them out as much as we can.”

 One thing that sets Washington County apart from Hancock County is that there are two courts in Washington County. “Many people don’t realize that Judge Mitchell travels back and forth between the two courts,” Crystal said. “Even the magistrate for family members comes down from Aroostook. We all put a lot of miles in to help survivors to be safe – it’s all so well worth it.”