Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office
The most important person in ensuring that a defendant is convicted and appropriately punished is you - the victim / witness. As a victim / witness of a crime, you may be experiencing feelings of confusion, fear, nervousness or anger about the criminal justice process.

Because we at the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office understand how important and necessary you are to the criminal justice system, the Newport News Victim / Witness Program has been established to help you deal with the impact of this crime. We are here to answer your questions, to offer assistance in relieving some of the injury or inconvenience a crime can cause and to serve you in any way that we can.

The criminal justice system provides for trials to decide the guilt or innocence of defendants. Even though you may be inconvenienced by having to come to court, please understand that, without your testimony, we would not be able to present the complete story to the judge. The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, together with the Victim / Witness Program, will make every effort to minimize any inconvenience to you in this process and to make sure that you are not victimized by the system.

As Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Newport News, I pledge that my office will do all that it can to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth and to see that justice is served. This can be done only with your continued help and cooperation. Remember, we are here to serve you.

Howard E. Gwynn
Commonwealth's Attorney