Theriot named to state board

Gov. John Bel Edwards has appointed Catalene B. Theriot, of Franklin, to the state Crime Victims Reparations Board.
Theriot is a Comprehensive Victim Intervention Specialist and Victim Services Coordinator with the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in New Iberia. She was nominated by a victim’s rights advocacy organization, as required by statute.
Theriot began her work with the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in 2003 as Victim’s Services Coordinator for Iberia Parish. She has been crucial to the continuing success of the 16th Judicial District’s Victim’s Program.
Catalene became a victim in 1994 when her son, Dean, was murdered. In 2005 she became the second person in Louisiana to go through the Victim-Offender Dialogue Program where she met with the offender that murdered her son.
In 2007 she graduated as one of the first students in the Louisiana State Victim Assistance Academy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She received an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2009. She also is a Credentialed Advocate at the advanced level gaining the title of Comprehensive Victim Intervention Specialist. Theriot is routinely requested by the state incarceration facilities to speak to its prisoners on the impact of crime on victims.
Theriot is the co-founder and president of VOICE (Voices of Innocent Citizens Empowered) which is a support group for victims of crime and their families. The group serves the entire state of Louisiana and has a growing membership. The group actively lobbies each legislative session to ensure that the rights of victims are protected.
She also serves as coordinator for the 16th Judicial District Victim Impact Panel. The panel, which meets monthly, is a requirement to DWI and DUI offenders convicted of said crime. As part of their court ordered sentence, the offenders must attend and complete the panel where they are exposed to real life experiences of victims of crime.
Among her other endeavors are:
—Victim Assistance Coordinator Training Committee with the Louisiana District Attorney’s Association
—Victims and Citizens Against Crime and Parents of Murdered Children
—State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision
—Past President of SNAP (Safety Net for Abused Persons)
—St. Mary Parish Chamber of Commerce serving on the Education Committee
—Franklin Lions Club where she serves as Treasurer
—Woodmen of the World
—Force One Hundred American’s Force For Justice
—Techeland Arts Council
—Evangeline Law Enforcement Council Board Member
—National Organization for Victim Assistance
—Victim-Offender Dialogue Facilitator