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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon

Time: 11:28 pm

Results for victims of crime

174 results found

Author: Chikwanha, Annie Barbara

Title: A Survey of Crime Victims in Sierra Leone: May to June 2008

Summary: This survey presents information on the prevalence of crime in this post-conflict country, as well as an assessment of the criminal justice system in general.

Details: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Institute for Security Studies, 2008. 16p.

Source:

Year: 2008

Country: Sierra Leone

URL:

Shelf Number: 115834

Keywords:
Crime Statistics (Sierra Leone)
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Diprose, Rachael

Title: Safety and Security: A Proposal for Internationally Comparable Indicators of Violence

Summary: One of the challenges for academics, policy makers, and practitioners working broadly in programs aimed at poverty alleviation, including violence prevention, is the lack of reliable and comparable data on the incidence and nature of violence. This paper proposes a household survey module for a multi-dimensional poverty questionnaire which can be used to complement the available data on the incidence of violence against property and the person, as well as perceptions of security and safety. Violence and poverty are inextricably linked, although the direction of causality is contested if not circular. The module uses standardized definitions which are clear and can be translated cross-culturally and a clear disaggregation of different types of interpersonal violence (not including self-harm) which bridges the crime-conflict nexus.

Details: Oxford, UK: Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity (CRISE), University of Oxford, 2008. 61p.

Source: CRISE Working Paper No. 52; Internet Resource

Year: 2008

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 118575

Keywords:
Criminal Statistics
Inequality
Poverty
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Button, Mark

Title: Support for the Victims of Fraud: An Assessment of the Current Infrastructure in England and Wales

Summary: There are hundreds of thousands of people who become victims of fraud every year in the U.K. Some do not know they are victims and some know but do not report it. Only a minority of victims (bar identity fraud) report it. The support those victims receive varies from nothing to the most extensive and very best support that could possibly be provided. The structures that exist for fraud victims also vary significantly from other crime victims. There is significant support provided by the private sector, voluntary bodies, and state organizations. This report seeks to capture this infrastructure of support offered to the victims of fraud setting out the strengths, weaknesses and gaps. It does this by mirroring the three main components of the process. First of all, support at the reporting stage is assessed, followed by the reported state, and finally the criminal justice system stage.

Details: London: National Fraud Authority, 2009. 37p., app.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: United Kingdom

URL:

Shelf Number: 118818

Keywords:
Fraud
Victim Compensation
Victims of Crime

Author: Gancheva, Yordanka

Title: The Costs of Domestic Violence Against Women in fyr Macedonia: A Costing Exercise for 2006

Summary: This costing exercise represents the first attempt to estimate the cost of domestic violence against women in the Republic of Macedonia. The study provides the idea and the model for estimating the costs of domestic violence against women as well as the type of information needed for the estimation. It covers costs incurred by government as well as costs incurred by non-governmental organizations offering services and costs to the women victims and those who assist them.

Details: Skopje: Economic Policy Research Institute, 2008. 97p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2008

Country: Macedonia

URL:

Shelf Number: 119225

Keywords:
Costs of Crime
Domestic Violence
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Melton, Ada Pecos

Title: Final Report: Participatory Evaluation of the Tribal Victim Assistance Programs at the Lummi Nation and Passamaquaddy Tribe

Summary: This report summarizes the results of process evaluations of two tribal victim assistance (TVA) programs - the Lummi Victims of Crime (LVOC) Program in Washington State and the Passamaquoddy Tribal Victim Outreach Advocate (TVOA) Program in Maine - both of which are federally funded “on-reservation” victim assistance programs intended to provide permanent, accessible, and responsive crime-victim assistance services on tribal lands. The evaluation focus was: 1) to examine the process used by each TVA Program to address identified problems; 2) to determine how well the TVA programs fit or met victim needs in each tribal community; 3) to understand the program impact on clients; and 4) to identify possible outcomes achieved by the program.

Details: Final report to the U.S. National Institute of Justice

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 0

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 117346

Keywords:
American Indians
Domestic Violence
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Bowles, Roger

Title: International Development of Victims Funds

Summary: Improving the quality of the experience for citizens coming into contact with the Criminal Justice System as a victim and/or witness is an important objective for government. The development of a Victims’ Fund which uses contributions from convicted offenders to make provision for victim support can be an important component in a strategy to build confidence amongst the public in the justice system. The experience of other countries which have implemented such schemes provides evidence as to their feasibility, strengths and weaknesses. Information about this experience and awareness of best practice internationally are invaluable in developing the best possible design for a Fund and a levy. The aim of the research reported here is to provide a review of the key issues, supported by a concise and informative resource outlining the practice of Government departments in other countries, which can support development of proposals for a Victims’ Fund in Northern Ireland. The focus is on instances where a central fund, based on a financial levy on offenders, is used to support victim-related initiatives and expenditure. The report reviews international experience of the process of developing and maintaining a victim fund and identifies significant themes arising from cross-country comparisons. It refers to the schemes run in countries which are known to operate one, namely: Australia, Belgium, Canada, England and Wales, France, New Zealand, Sweden and the USA.

Details: Belfast: Criminal Justice System Northern Ireland, 2010. 76p.

Source: Internet Resource; NIO Research and Statistical Series: Report No. 22

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL:

Shelf Number: 118701

Keywords:
Victim Compensation
Victims of Crime

Author: Toner, S.

Title: Experience of Crime: Findings from the 2008/09 Northern Ireland Crime Survey

Summary: This report presents the findings from the Northern Ireland Crime Survey focusing on crime victimisation and prevalence rates in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales. Results from the survey indicate that 13.4% of all households and their adult occupants were victims of crime during the 12 months prior to interview, which is the lowest figure for victimisation since the survey began. While not statistically different from the figure for NICS 2007/08 (13.8%) or 2006/07 (14.2%), it is lower than the rates recorded through NICS 1998 (23.0%), 2001 (19.7%), 2003/04 (21.4%) and 2005 (17.3%).

Details: Belfast: Northern Ireland Office, Statistics and Research Branch, 2009. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource; Research and Statistical Bulletin 7/2009

Year: 2009

Country: United Kingdom

URL:

Shelf Number: 119334

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Dolezal, Theresa

Title: Hidden Costs in Health Care: The Economic Impact of Violence and Abuse

Summary: Every year millions of Americans are exposed to violence and abuse as victims, witnesses, and perpetrators. Violence and abuse occur in all age groups, at all socioeconomic levels, and throughout all of society's structure. Up to now, the health care system has failed to adequately recognize the consequences of abuse, to respond and treat patients in a manner that is compassionate and healing, and to incorporate appropriate prevention strategies. This paper reviews a sampling of the literature that supports the contention that violence and abuse lead to a significant increase in health care utilization and costs.

Details: Eden Prairie, MN: Academy on Violence and Abuse, 2009.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 117603

Keywords:
Costs of Crime
Health Care
Victims of Crime
Violence and Abuse

Author: Reilly, James

Title: Understanding Victimisation Risk: Findings from the New Zealand Crime & Safety Survey 2006 in an International Context

Summary: This report presents further results from the 2006 New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey (NZCASS). It looks at what best explains why some social groups face higher victimisation risk than others. One of the purposes of the survey is to understand this better. The survey offers the most recent nationally representative data of its kind to do this. This report looks at which factors emerged as most important in relation to risk of burglary, vehicle crime (thefts of and from vehicles and vehicle interference), and confrontational (violent) crime. Confrontational crime was broken down into offences by: partners; people well known to the victim; and other offenders (strangers or those known casually or by sight).

Details: Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Ministry of Justice, 2009. 100p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2009

Country: New Zealand

URL:

Shelf Number: 119453

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Pharoah, Robyn

Title: National Victims of Crime Survey: Overview of Key Findings

Summary: In 2007 the Institute for Security Studies conducted a national crime and victimisation survey. The survey followed on from two earlier victim surveys conducted by the ISS and Statistics South Africa in 1998 and 2003 respectively. Together, these three surveys provide an unprecedented snapshot of both changing victimisation levels and perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system over the last decade. This paper, the first of several on the research results, provides an overview of the central findings of the 2007 survey, key victimisation and reporting trends since 1998, as well as changes in the public's perception of crime, responses to crime and the performance of the criminal justice system.

Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2008. 15p.

Source: Internet Resource; ISS Paper No. 175

Year: 2008

Country: South Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 115830

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Pharoah, Robyn

Title: The Dynamics of Crime: Comparing the Results from the 1998, 2003 and 2007 National Crime and Victimisation Surveys

Summary: In 2007 the Institute for Security Studies conducted a national crime and victimisation survey. The survey followed on from two earlier victim surveys conducted by the ISS and Statistics South Africa in 1998 and 2003 respectively. Together, these three surveys provide an unprecedented snapshot of both changing victimisation levels and perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system over the last decade. This paper discusses the dynamics surrounding the six most common crimes identified in the 2007 study. It compares the data from the 1998, 2003 and 2007 surveys to provide a picture of provincial victimisation trends, the sites and characteristics of the crimes, weapon use, victims’ familiarity with the perpetrators and arrest and conviction trends.

Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2008. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource; ISS Paper 177

Year: 2008

Country: South Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 115830

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: O'Donovan, Michael

Title: South Africa's Perceptions of the Police and the Courts: Results of the 2007 National Victims of Crime Survey

Summary: In 2007 the Institute for Security Studies conducted a national crime and victimisation survey. The survey followed on from two earlier victim surveys conducted by the ISS and Statistics South Africa in 1998 and 2003 respectively. Together, these three surveys provide an unprecedented snapshot of both changing victimisation levels and perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system over the last decade. This paper, one of several on the research results, provides an analysis of the findings of the 2007 victimisation survey in respect of preceptions of the public in relation to the functioning of the police and courts. It also provides a comparison between the 2003 and 2007 victmisation survey findings on these matters.

Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2008. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource; ISS Paper 176

Year: 2008

Country: South Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 115830

Keywords:
Courts
Police
Public Opinion
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Pharoah, Robyn

Title: Who Is Most At Risk? Victimisation Trends in the 2007 National Crime and Victimisation Survey

Summary: This paper explores whether there are factors that may place some people at greater risk of experiencing crime in South African than others. The paper is one of a series of papers presenting the findings of the National Crime and Victimisation Survey conducted by the Institute for Security Studies in 2007. This paper analyses the victimisation trends emerging from the data. It attempts to go beyond a basic reading of results to identify statistically what characteristics influence victimisation; the relative importance of different factors; and, whether they increase or decrease the likelihood of experiencing different types of crime. It does this using regression modelling of variables identified both in the preliminary analysis of the 2007 findings and in a range of similar studies.

Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2009. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource; ISS Paper 182

Year: 2009

Country: South Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 115830

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Ruback, R. Barry

Title: Evaluation of Best Practices in Restitution and Victim Compensation Orders and Payments

Summary: Over the past 25 years, the use of economic sanctions has increased because of pressures to punish offenders, to reimburse victims, and to have offenders pay for the costs of prosecution, and fees, as well as mandatory restitution, fines, and various state costs. This research project was concerned with how these different economic sanctions are imposed and with whether they are paid. In addition, the research examined whether state fees and restitution to the state were mandated as imposed by law.

Details: University Park, PA: Crime, Law, & Justice Program, Department of Sociology, Penn State University, 2006. 224p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2006

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119534

Keywords:
Restitution
Victim Compensation
Victims of Crime

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Title: Victimization Survey in Kenya: Executive Summary

Summary: This report presents the results of a victimization survey carried out within the framework of the UN Development Account project 06/07R Collection and analysis of data and trends on drugs, crime, and victimization in Africa. The report summarizes the major findings of the survey which was carried out in Kenya in early 2010. The survey had national coverage and targeted a sample of approximately 3,000 households.

Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2010. 10p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2010

Country: Kenya

URL:

Shelf Number: 119552

Keywords:
Crime Statistics (Kenya)
Victimization Surveys (Kenya)
Victims of Crime

Author: Australia. Parliament. House of Representatives, Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth

Title: Avoid the Harm - Stay Calm: Report on the Inquiry into the Impact of Violence on Young Australians

Summary: This report attempts to answer the following qustion - What needs to be done to curb youth violence and address the concerns of young people and of the wider Australian community? As such, it reports on the impact of violence on young Australians with particular reference to: perceptions of violence and community safety among young Australians; links between illicit drug use, alcohol abuse and violence among young Australians; the relationship between bullying and violence and the well-being of young Australians; social and economic factors that contribute to violence by young Australians; and strategies to reduce violence and its impact among young Australians.

Details: Canberra: Parliament of Australia, 2010. 180p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

URL:

Shelf Number: 119529

Keywords:
Alcohol Related Crime, Disorder
Drug Abuse and Crime
Juvenile Offenders
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Offenders

Author: Roebuck, Ben

Title: Homelessness, Victimization and Crime: Knowledge and Actionable Recommendations

Summary: "This report examines how victimization contributes to homelessness and how subsequent victimization may result from living on the streets. It reviews the types of crimes committed by homeless people, and why homeless people are incarcerated. It also identifies factors through which incarceration raises the risk of homelessness for vulnerable populations."

Details: Ottawa: Institute for the Prevention of Crime, 2008. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 8, 2010 at: http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/ipc/pdf/IPC-Homelessness%20report.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/ipc/pdf/IPC-Homelessness%20report.pdf

Shelf Number: 113258

Keywords:
Homelessness
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Klein, Andrew R.

Title: Enforcing Domestic Violence Firearms Prohibitions: A Report on Promising Practices

Summary: "This report highlights promising practices currently employed around the United States and in tribal jurisdictions that represent innovative approaches to enforcing domestic violence firearm prohibitions. It provides brief descriptions of programs that are located primarily in law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, courts, and probation departments. Because comprehensive legislation represents the first step toward disarming abusers, the document also profiles the work of one state legislature in enacting statutes to protect victims of domestic violence."

Details: Sudbury, MA: Advocates for Human Potential, 2006. 116p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 8, 2010 at http://www.bwjp.org/files/bwjp/articles/Enforcing_Firearms_Prohibitions.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bwjp.org/files/bwjp/articles/Enforcing_Firearms_Prohibitions.pdf

Shelf Number: 119580

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Firearms and Crime
Victims of Crime
Violent Crime

Author: Lanton, Lynn

Title: Identity Theft Reported by Households, 2007 - Statistical Tables

Summary: The report presents data on identity theft victimization reported by households from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). These statistical tables provide 2007 data on rates and types of identity theft, as well as demographic characteristics of victimized households and their monetary losses. Tables compare rates of identity theft victimization in 2005 to 2007. Estimates from the last half of 2008 are also presented and compared to estimates from the same 6-month period in 2007. Highlights include the following: 1) The number of households with at least one member who experienced one or more types of identity theft increased 23% from 2005 to 2007; 2) From 2005 to 2007, the number of households that experienced credit card theft increased by 31% and the number that experienced multiple types during the same episode increased by 37%; 3) During the 6-month period in 2008 for which identity theft victimization data was collected as part of the regular NCVS, 3.3% of households discovered that at least one member had been a victim of one or more types of identity theft.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010. 5p.

Source: Internet Resource; National Crime Victimization Survey 2007. Accessed August 10, 2010 at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2294

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2294

Shelf Number: 119581

Keywords:
Credit Card Theft
Economic Crimes
Identity Theft
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Ruback, R. Barry

Title: Crime Victims' Perceptions of Restitution: The Importance of Payment and Understanding

Summary: Out of concern for victim rights and for the operation of the criminal justice system, the Office for Victims of Crime recommends that victims should be informed, consulted, respected, and made whole, rights that relate to informational, procedural, interactional, and distributive justice. To test whether crime victims’ satisfaction with the criminal justice system was related to their perceptions of the fairness of the process and of their outcomes in their case, particularly with regard to restitution, we surveyed 238 victims in two Pennsylvania counties. Results indicated that payment of restitution, perception of fair process, and good interpersonal treatment were positively related to victims’ willingness to report crimes in the future but that satisfaction with information about the process was not. Victims’ understanding of the restitution process was a significant predictor of willingness to report in a multivariate analysis. Understanding was more strongly related to the victim’s own actions than to the actions of personnel in the criminal justice system.

Details: Unpublished report supported by grants from the Pennsylvania Commission Crime and Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, 2010. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 13, 2010 at: www.portal.state.pa.us/

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119600

Keywords:
Restitution
Victims of Crime

Author: Zahnd, Elaine

Title: Nearly Four Million California Adults Are Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Summary: Nearly 1 in 6 adults in California, about 3.7 million persons, report experiencing physical intimate partner violence (IPV) as adults. Over one million Californians were forced to have sex (5%) by an intimate partner during adulthood. Overall, 17.2% of adults—nearly four million Californians—report being a victim of physical and/or sexual IPV as an adult. These acts of violence are not merely a criminal justice problem, but a public health problem with deep and lingering social, psychological and health-related costs. Beyond the immediate trauma facing adult victims, IPV incidents may have a prolonged impact on the emotional and mental health of the victims, affect their ability to complete school or maintain employment, and result in adverse health behaviors to cope with the trauma, such as engaging in risky alcohol, tobacco or other drug use. Violence that occurs between intimates or family members is especially damaging when it takes place in the presence of children; previous studies have shown that witnessing violence can lead to intergenerational cycles of violence."

Details: Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 2010. 11p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 16, 2010 at: http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/files/IPV_PB_031810.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/files/IPV_PB_031810.pdf

Shelf Number: 119614

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Family Violence
Health Care
Intimate Partner Violence (California )
Sex Offenses
Victims of Crime

Author: McLeod, Rosie

Title: Court Experience of Adults With Mental Disabilities and Limited Mental Capacity

Summary: In-depth interviews were conducted with people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and limited mental capacity, who had been victims or witnesses in criminal proceedings, or parties in civil or family law cases. Carers, court staff and other key stakeholders also took part. The report is published in six volumes: 1) Overview and recommendations; 2) Before court; 3) At court; 4) After court; 5)Policy processes, services and practices; and 6)Technical report.

Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2010. 6 vols.

Source: Internet Resource: Ministry of Justice Research Series 8/10: Accessed August 19, 2010 at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/court-experiences-adults-mental-health.htm

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/court-experiences-adults-mental-health.htm

Shelf Number: 118807

Keywords:
Criminal Courts (U.K.)
Learning Disabilities
Mentally Ill
Victims of Crime
Witnesses

Author: Keown, Leslie-Anne

Title: Precautions Taken to Avoid Victimization: A Gender Perspective

Summary: This article uses the 2004 General Social Survey on criminal victimization to explore how men and women of the core working age population (25 to 54 years) living in Census Metropolitan Areas differ in the precautions taken to avoid victimization. The results indicate that though men and women do not differ substantially in the amount of crime they perceive around them - they do differ in the precautions taken to avoid victimization. This difference remains unchanged even when other factors like fear of crime, income, age, and victimization experiences are taken into account.

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010. 9p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 7, 2010 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2010001/article/11123-eng.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2010001/article/11123-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 119752

Keywords:
Fear of Crime
Neighborhoods
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Vaillancourt, Roxan

Title: Gender Differences in Police-reported Violent Crime in Canada, 2008

Summary: Police-reported data show that the risk of violent victimization among adult males (aged 18 years of age and over) is comparable to that of adult females. Adult females accounted for 51% or about 152,000 of the 298,000 victims of violent incidents reported to the police in 2008, while some 146,000 victims were male. There are many consequences associated with being a victim of a violent crime including injuries, increased stress levels and disruption to day-to-day activities. According to the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization, 24% of victims who sustained injuries due to a violent victimization sought medical attention and 20% required bed rest. In addition, 81% of victims experienced some form of emotional reaction such as anger, confusion or being fearful, and one-third reported having problems sleeping. This profile examines the nature and extent of gender differences in police-reported violent victimization between male and female adults aged 18 years and over. It analyses gender differences in victimization based on the prevalence across the provinces and territories, the type of violent offence, the location of the incident, the presence and type of weapon used, the level of injury to the victim, the victim’s relationship to the perpetrator, and the age of the victim.

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010. 26p.

Source: Internet Resource: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics Profile Series: Accessed September 7, 2010 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85f0033m/85f0033m2010024-eng.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85f0033m/85f0033m2010024-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 119753

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Female Victims
Gender
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violent Crime

Author: Nugent-Borakove, M. Elaine

Title: Testing the Efficacy of SANE/SART Programs: Do They Make A Difference in Sexual Assault Arrest & Prosecution Outcomes?

Summary: This study examined the effectiveness of SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners)/SART (Sexual Assault Response Teams) programs as a tool in the criminal justice system, specifically the impact of sexual assault case outcomes. The study examined five primary research questions: (1) was the arrest rate higher in cases where a SANE/SART exam was performed as compared with cases in which no exam was performed; (2) was the indictment/charging rate higher in such cases; (3) were guilty pleas more likely to be entered in such cases; (4) was the conviction rate higher in such cases; and (5) was the sentence more severe in such cases.

Details: Alexandria, VA: American Prosecutors Research Institute, 2006. 62p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/214252.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/214252.pdf

Shelf Number: 119772

Keywords:
Prosecution
Sex Offenders
Sexual Assault
Victims of Crime

Author: Davis, Robert C.

Title: Finally Getting Victims Their Due: A Process Evaluation of the NCVLI Victims' Rights Clinics

Summary: This report describes a process evaluation conducted by the RAND Corporation and National Center for Victims of Crime of the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) state and federal victims’ rights clinics. The clinics were conceived as a response to the fact that, in spite of burgeoning victims’ rights legislation in all states, many victims still are not receiving the rights they are entitled to under law. The NCVLI clinics were intended to promote awareness, education, and enforcement of crime victims’ rights in the criminal justice system. In establishing the victims’ rights clinics, NCVLI sought to change the legal culture with respect to observance of victims’ rights. The vehicle for doing this was providing direct representation to individual victims in criminal court. By giving victims attorneys, NCVLI hoped that it could increase the observance of rights in those particular cases. But it also hoped that the presence of victim attorneys in some cases and trainings held for court officials would result in an increased attention to victims’ rights by prosecutors, judges, and police officers in all cases – not just in the cases where victims were represented by attorneys. The process evaluation placed a significant focus on how the clinics approach their work. We noted that the clinics ranged in their organizational aegis from being housed within victim services programs to being located within a law school to being one component within a full service law firm, and that these arrangements had implications for how the clinics conducted their work. We noted that every clinic has made an effort to train pro bono attorneys and refer cases to them. However, the experience has not always been positive because pro bono attorneys often do not have the knowledge, commitment, or availability to be of significant help. We noted that, while their primary focus has always been on addressing violations of clients’ legal rights, most of the clinics also have developed a focus that includes addressing all of victims’ crime-related needs, either directly or through referrals to other service providers. We noted that there is a large disparity between clinics in the number of cases opened annually and the geographic coverage of each across the states in which they are located. The report finds that clinics have dealt with a range of victims’ rights issues in trial courts including the right to be present, right to be consulted about plea offers, right to make an impact statement, right to be notified of changes in defendants’ detention status, right to restitution, right to privacy, and so forth. However, the principal issue has been victim standing before the court to enforce their rights. In some states, standing has been acknowledged, at least in limited ways. In other states, clinics have made or are making steps toward such recognition, or have been successful in representing victims without the issue being directly confronted. In one state, the ability of attorneys to represent victims in criminal court is currently in serious question. The report also discusses how some clinics have won significant gains at the appellate and federal court levels concerning victim standing, the rights to be consulted and heard, and the right to privacy. Based on the information we gathered during the course of the process evaluation, we believe that the state clinics are beginning to fulfill the intentions of their architects and funders. All of the clinics have pushed the envelope of victims’ rights in their state courts. Some have won significant victories in gaining standing for victims and expanding the definition of particular rights. Others are enjoined in the battle. But all have raised awareness of victims’ rights with prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, and police officials.

Details: Unpublished report to the U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2009. 299p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 10, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228389.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228389.pdf

Shelf Number: 116665

Keywords:
Legal Aid
Victims of Crime
Victims Services

Author: Rand, Michael R.

Title: Crime Against People with Disabilities, 2007

Summary: This report presents the first findings about nonfatal violent and property crime experienced by persons with disabilities, based on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The report includes data on nonfatal violent victimization (rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault) and property crime (burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft) against persons with disabilities in 2007. It compares the victimization experience of persons with and without disabilities, using population estimates based on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Data are presented on victim and crime characteristics of persons with and without disabilities, including age, race and gender distribution; offender weapon use; victim injuries; and reporting to the police. Highlights include the following: Persons with disabilities were victims of about 47,000 rapes, 79,000 robberies, 114,000 aggravated assaults, and 476,000 simple assaults; Age-adjusted rate of nonfatal violent crime against persons with disabilities was 1.5 times higher than the rate for persons without disabilities; and Females with a disability had a higher victimization rate than males with a disability; males had a higher rate than females among those without a disability.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2010 at:

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 113077

Keywords:
Mentally Handicapped Persons
Physically Handicapped Persons
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Catalano, Shannan

Title: Victimization During Household Burglary

Summary: This report presents findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on the characteristics of burglary, with comparisons between households where members were present and not present. It also examines the extent to which individuals in the residence are violently victimized when at home during these encounters. The NCVS classifies victimization as personal, rather than property crime, when a household member is present and experiences violence during a household burglary. This report classifies these violent burglaries differently so that they may be compared to traditionally classified burglaries. It also discusses crime characteristics such as household structure, location and type of residence, method of entry, time of day, type of violence, weapon use, injury, and reporting to police. Data on nonfatal violent victimization (rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault) are drawn from the NCVS. Data on homicides are drawn from the Supplementary Homicide Report of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Highlights of the report include the following: An estimated 3.7 million burglaries occurred each year on average from 2003 to 2007; Offenders were known to their victims in 65% of violent burglaries; offenders were strangers in 28%; and Serious injury accounted for 9% and minor injury accounted for 36% of injuries sustained by household members who were home and experienced violence during a completed burglary.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Accessed October 5, 2010 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf

Shelf Number: 119860

Keywords:
Burglary
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violent Crime

Author: Johnson, Matthew

Title: Personal Victimization of College Students

Summary: The purpose of this study was to explore aspects of personal victimization among college students in Texas. Findings were reported and discussed regarding the extent of personal victimization, factors increasing or decreasing the likelihood of personal victimization, and situational issues pertaining to the consequences of being victimized. Some of the more noteworthy findings are: Approximately 26% of respondents reported being a personal crime victim within the past two years; The percentage of females experiencing personal victimization was substantially higher than the percentage for males. Further investigation revealed that the measures of stalking and sexual assault victimization accounted for the overall higher rate for females; Respondents living with a roommate or roommates were much more likely to be victims compared to respondents living alone; Respondents who grew up in a household headed by only the biological father and those raised primarily by their grandparents were significantly more likely to report being a victim compared to all other categories; Exposure to and involvement in violence is associated with personal victimization. Respondents experiencing violence between parents as children and respondents engaging in violent/personal crime were significantly more likely to be victims of personal crime compared to other respondents; Respondents who spent more time taking safety precautions to prevent victimization were more likely to have been victimized compared to those spending less time doing such things; Respondents who were personal crime victims had higher levels of fear of victimization compared to non-victims; and Personal crime victims reported spending more time partying than non-victims.

Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victims' Institute, Criminal Justice Center, Sam Houston State University, 2009. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2010 at: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/CSVictimizationFinal.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/CSVictimizationFinal.pdf

Shelf Number: 119862

Keywords:
Campus Crime
Colleges and Universities
Sexual Assault
Stalking
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Johnson, Matthew

Title: Property Victimization of College Students

Summary: This report focuses on property victimization of college students. It is designed to examine the prevalence and frequency of property victimization; and explore the contexts in which it is most likely to occur. College students were selected because, according to previous studies, persons in their mid teens to mid 20s have a higher victimization rate than do other age groups. Non-violent property crimes including motor vehicle theft, theft of other items, burglary, and vandalism cost victims billions of dollars every year. Most of those property crime victimizations involve economic loss, most of which is never recovered. There has been little research on this kind of victimization among college students. Nevertheless, evidence shows that males and younger students are at greatest risk for experiencing some forms of property victimization, particularly theft. Data was collected from on an online survey of college students from seven public universities spread across the state of Texas. The overall racial/ethnic composition of the sample was comparable to the overall composition of all college students in the state.

Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victims' Institute, Criminal Justice Center, Sam Houston State University, 2009. 29p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 6, 2010 at: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/CSVictimizationPropertyCrimeReportFinalfromPress.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/CSVictimizationPropertyCrimeReportFinalfromPress.pdf

Shelf Number: 119866

Keywords:
Burglary
Colleges and Universities
Property Crime
School Crime
Students, Crimes Against
Vandalism
Vehicle Theft
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Kane, John

Title: The 2005 National Public Survey on White Collar Crime

Summary: Within recent years, instances of white collar crime have become a topic of increasing frequency within the news. Security data breaches and crimes such as identity theft, credit card fraud, disaster fraud, and mortgage fraud have pervaded recent media reports, and scandals involving corporations such as Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, HealthSouth, and ImClone have dominated airtime. Furthermore, monetary estimates from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners approximate the annual cost of white collar crime to be between $300 and $660 billion. Despite the evidence of the widespread nature of white collar crime, there remain few empirical studies devoted to assessing the prevalence of white collar crime as it relates to the general public. In response to this, NW3C conducted the 2005 National Public Survey on White Collar Crime (a follow-up to NW3C’s original National Public Survey on White Collar Crime conducted in 1999). By utilizing household and individual measures, this nationally-representative survey highlights the public’s recent experiences with white collar crime including victimization, reporting behaviors, and perceptions of crime seriousness.

Details: Fairmont, WV: National White Collar Crime Center, 2006. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 6, 2010 at: http://www.nw3c.org/research/national_public_survey.cfm

Year: 2006

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nw3c.org/research/national_public_survey.cfm

Shelf Number: 119868

Keywords:
Credit Card Fraud
Crime Surveys
Fraud
Identity Theft
Public Opinion
Victimization
Victims of Crime
White Collar Crime

Author: Ringland, Clare

Title: Domestic Homicide in NSW, January 2003 - June 2008

Summary: This brief examines trends and characteristics of domestic homicides in NSW over the period January 2003 to June 2008. During this time, there were 215 victims of domestic homicide, 115 females and 100 males. The rate of domestic homicide per year remained stable, ranging from a low of 0.46 per 100,000 population in 2004 to a high of 0.63 per 100,000 population in 2006. Forty-three per cent of domestic homicide victims (70 females and 23 males) were killed by intimate partners, and 19 per cent by parents. Stabbing was the most common act causing death, with knives used in over one-third of domestic homicides. The use of knives increased over the period, while the use of firearms decreased. Over three-quarters of offenders were male, and one-third of offenders may have had a history of mental illness and/or been suffering from mental illness at the time of the homicide. Twenty-six per cent of offenders were persons of interest in a violence-related incident in the 12 months prior to the homicide, and 52 per cent in the five years prior. In the 12 months prior to the homicide event, only 10 per cent of victims had been identified as a victim in a violence-related incident where the homicide offender was identified as a person of interest.

Details: Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2009. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Bureau Brief, Issue Paper No. 42: Accessed October 11, 2010 at: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/bb42.pdf/$file/bb42.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/bb42.pdf/$file/bb42.pdf

Shelf Number: 118552

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Family Violence
Homicide
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women
Violent Crime

Author: Kemp, Vicky

Title: The Problems of Everyday Life: Crime and the Civil and Social Justice Survey

Summary: Criminal justice processes target a limited range of ‘crimes’ or ‘harms’ to the exclusion of many others. Whilst political and public policy attention is often focused on procedures and processes, there is also great value in considering broader issues of social justice across a spectrum of activities that extend beyond the restricted scope of criminal justice. It is in this context that we find the work published here of interest. As the briefing shows, the range of problems and difficulties of everyday life faced by different sections of the population is complex, interrelated and should ultimately be of concern to anyone with an interest in social justice. Whilst the categories of ‘crime’, ‘social exclusion’ and ‘civil justice problems’ can be problematic, this paper usefully draws attention to a number of issues that we feel deserve much greater attention. As the authors claim, their findings suggest that services aimed at those people experiencing social problems would be more usefully provided through common means and methods. Separating out the issues and services aimed at resolving civil problems, crime and social exclusion often ignores the complex picture of injustices those deemed ‘vulnerable’ often face. Of greatest importance is the necessity to begin looking at these problems in the context of social injustice and the role of structural factors that result in substantial inequalities.

Details: London: Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 2007. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2010 at: http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus355/EverydayprobsWEB.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus355/EverydayprobsWEB.pdf

Shelf Number: 120020

Keywords:
Civil Justice
Socioeconomic Status
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: De Tella, Rafael

Title: Happiness, Ideology and Crime in Argentine Cities

Summary: This paper uses self-reported data on victimization, subjective well being and ideology for a panel of individuals living in six Argentine cities. While no relationship is found between happiness and victimization experiences, a correlation is documented, however, between victimization experience and changes in ideological positions. Specifically, individuals who are the victims of crime are subsequently more likely than non-victims to state that inequality is high in Argentina and that the appropriate measure to reduce crime is to become less punitive (demanding lower penalties for the same crime).

Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2009. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource: IDB WORKING PAPER SERIES No. IDB-WP-112; Accessed October 23, 2010 at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=35004726

Year: 2009

Country: Argentina

URL: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=35004726

Shelf Number: 120059

Keywords:
Crime Analysis
Inequality
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: New Zealand. Statistics New Zealand

Title: Crime Victimisation Patterns in New Zealand: New Zealand General Social Survey 2008 and New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey 2006 Compared

Summary: Crime Victimisation Patterns in New Zealand compares victimisation statistics produced from the New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey 2006 (NZCASS) and the New Zealand General Social Survey 2008 (GSS) to see if the socio-demographic characteristics of victims in the surveys are similar. The report looks at victimisation prevalence and repeat victimisation in relation to the total population, and to certain population groups, such as age, sex, ethnicity, household tenure, and the New Zealand index of deprivation 2001 groups. Users of crime victimisation data will see how the GSS module on safety and security compares with New Zealand’s primary victimisation survey, the NZCSS. The GSS is a two-yearly, multi-topic survey of individual well-being. The GSS allows the interrelationships between crime victimisation and other areas of society (such as knowledge and skills, paid work, economic standard of living, physical environment, and social connectedness) to be looked at. The NZCASS is designed to collect crime and safety information from individuals in selected households. This enables investigation across crime topics, populations, regions, and time.

Details: Wellington, NZ: Statistics New Zealand, 2010. 47p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 25, 2010 at: http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/crime_and_justice/crime-victimisation-patterns-nz.aspx

Year: 2010

Country: New Zealand

URL: http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/crime_and_justice/crime-victimisation-patterns-nz.aspx

Shelf Number: 120081

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Bra)

Title: The Swedish Crime Survey 2009: Victimization, Fear of Crime and Public Confidence in the Criminal Justice System

Summary: Crime and the fear of crime are social issues that are attracting an increasing amount of attention, and the demands being made on society’s capacity to prevent these problems are increasing. There is also a growing need to monitor and analyze crime and the fear of crime. In 2005, the Swedish Government commissioned the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) and other criminal justice agencies to plan and implement an annual survey of exposure to crime and levels of public safety (the Swedish Crime Survey) in Sweden. The first wave of data collection took place in 2006 and the principal findings were presented in a report in 2007. This publication is a summary of the fourth report of principal findings, based on the fourth wave of data collection, which was conducted in 2009. The Swedish Crime Survey covers a very broad range of issues, and this report presents the overall results relating to victimization, fear of crime and public confidence in the criminal justice system. The report contains few detailed analyses or explanations of the findings presented. In depth studies of this sort are instead presented separately in the form of special studies. Recent examples include studies on domestic violence against men and women, young people’s confidence in the criminal justice system and crime victims’ experiences of their contacts with the criminal justice system. Knowledge of victimization, fear of crime and public confidence provides an important basis for developing and improving the criminal justice system and other agencies, and may help to reduce crime and increase perceptions of safety.

Details: Stockholm: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2010. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: English Summary of Bra Report 2010:2: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=English_summary_NTU_2009.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/100401/9fa7c85c7b1d955bfa50c4b41c27bda1/English%255fsummary%255fNTU%255f2009.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

URL: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=English_summary_NTU_2009.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/100401/9fa7c85c7b1d955bfa50c4b41c27bda1/English%255fsummary%255fNTU%255f2009.pdf

Shelf Number: 120359

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Fear of Crime
Victimization Surveys (Sweden)
Victims of Crime

Author: Scribbins, Matthew (Ed.)

Title: Public Perceptions of Policing, Engagement with the Police and Victimisation: Findings from the 2009-210 British Crime Survey

Summary: This bulletin is the first in a series of supplementary volumes that accompany the main annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 'Crime in England and Wales 2009/10. These supplementary volumes report on additional analysis not included in the main annual publication. Figures included in this bulletin are from the British Crime Survey (BCS), a large, nationally representative victimisation survey of approximately 46,000 adults resident in households in England and Wales. Since 2001/02 the BCS has run continuously with interviewing being carried out throughout the year. Adults aged 16 and over are asked about their experiences of crime-related incidents in the 12 months prior to interview. BCS respondents are also asked about their attitudes towards different crime-related issues such as the police, criminal justice system, perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour. This bulletin presents findings from additional analyses on public perceptions of policing, people's engagement with the police and their perceptions of the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime, based on the 2009/10 BCS.

Details: London: Home Office, Research, Development and Statistics Office, 2010. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 19/10: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb1910.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb1910.pdf

Shelf Number: 120363

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Police-Community Relations
Victimization Surveys (U.K.)
Victims of Crime

Author: Medina, Carlos

Title: An Assessment of How Urban Crime and Victimization Affects Life Satisfaction

Summary: We assess the effect of the homicide rate, individual‟s perception of security in their neighborhood of residence, and of the effect of their having been victimized, on life satisfaction. We find a negative effect of the homicide rate on life satisfaction for the subsample of individuals living in their current houses for at least 10 years or more, who had moved to that place at some point in the past. We also find a positive and robust effect of the perception of security in the households' neighborhood for the whole sample, and for different subsamples considered. Having been victim of an offense is also robustly negatively related to life satisfaction, in particular in the cases where the offense was robbery.

Details: Bogota, Colombia: Borradores de Economia, 2011. 36p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. 640: Accessed February 9, 2011 at: http://www.banrep.gov.co/docum/ftp/borra640.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.banrep.gov.co/docum/ftp/borra640.pdf

Shelf Number: 120731

Keywords:
Homicide
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Surtees, Rebecca

Title: Listening to Victims: Experiences of Identification, Return and Assistance in South-Eastern Europe

Summary: In recent years combating trafficking in human beings has consistently been on the agenda of national administrations and international actors. A number of studies have attempted to map out the dimensions of the problem as an aspect of organized crime or irregular migration and a number of programmes have been designed to address the needs of the victims of this crime. Yet, most implemented policies and practices as well as the more theoretical studies merely discuss the current status of national and international legislation, address the need for capacity building of a specific target group or concentrate on preventive measures such as awareness raising. The study “Listening to Victims: Experiences of identification, return and assistance in South-Eastern Europe” offers a different take on the issue of trafficking. By listening to the victims themselves, by acknowledging and putting forward their “self-articulated needs,” the study attempts to show the different dilemmas facing trafficking victims. It demonstrates that one general solution is not possible and selective and targeted interventions on different levels are necessary instead. The study reflects the dynamic situation in the anti-trafficking field in South-Eastern Europe. It attempts to outline the ambiguity and complexity that surround the issue of trafficking in human beings, in order to preempt one-track solutions and policy measures. The study does not contain a catalogue of recommendations but provides food for thought for all actors involved. By describing the involvement of different governmental and non-governmental institutions and organisations in the process of identification, assistance and referral of victims of trafficking, the study hints at possible adjustments and improvements in the role of each anti-trafficking actor. It is through the voices of the victims themselves that helpful suggestions for state and non-state actors are articulated. This is particularly the case in the area of rehabilitation and reintegration after an eventual return to the country of origin, which opens a broad spectrum of possibilities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Details: Vienna: International Centre for Migration Policy Development, 2007. 246p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2011 at: http://www.childtrafficking.com/Docs/listening_to_victims_1007.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.childtrafficking.com/Docs/listening_to_victims_1007.pdf

Shelf Number: 112353

Keywords:
Human Trafficking
Victims of Crime

Author: Krebs, Christopher P., Lindquist, Christine H.

Title: The Historically Black College and University Campus Sexual Assault (HBCU-CSA) Study

Summary: Sexual assault has a substantial impact on both victims and society. Victims of sexual assault may suffer both immediate and long-term physical and mental health consequences, including injury, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy. Victims of sexual assault report increasing their visits to physicians by 18% the year of the assault, by 56% the year after the assault, and by 31% two years after the assault. Four out of five rape victims subsequently suffer from chronic physical or psychological conditions, and rape victims are 13 times more likely to attempt suicide than persons who have not been crime victims and 6 times more likely than victims of other crimes. Overall, rape is believed to carry the highest annual victim cost of any crime: $127 billion (excluding child sex abuse cases). It is followed by assault at $93 billion per year, murder (excluding arson and drunk driving) at $61 billion per year, and child abuse at $56 billion per year. Given the substantial impact that sexual victimization has on individual victims and society, collecting information that advances our understanding of sexual assault, helps us prevent victimization, and better meets the needs of victims is critical. Although a considerable amount of research on sexual violence on college campuses has been conducted, very little of this research has involved historically black college and university (HBCU) students. As a result, there is a substantial gap in the literature and knowledge base about the magnitude of the problem, what is being done to reduce the problem, and what more can be done to prevent sexual violence and meet the needs of victims of sexual assault on HBCU campuses. The gap in research makes it difficult to fully understand the sexual assault experiences of African American students in general, given that almost 20% of African American baccalaureates receive their degree from HBCUs. RTI International was funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to conduct the HBCU Campus Sexual Assault (HBCU-CSA) Study. The HBCU-CSA Study was undertaken to document the prevalence — as well as associated personal and behavioral factors, context, consequences, and reporting—of distinct forms of sexual assault. This study also examines campus police and service provider perspectives on sexual victimization and student attitudes toward law enforcement and ideas about prevention and policy. Faculty, staff, and students at all four of the participating HBCUs, many of whom were women of color, played an invaluable role in ensuring that the study was culturally sensitive and would be well received by the population of undergraduate women at HBCUs. HBCU faculty, staff, and students collaborated with RTI on all aspects of the study including design, instrumentation, marketing and recruitment, and analysis and dissemination of findings. In the HBCU-CSA Study, the term “sexual assault” includes a wide range of victimizations, including rape and other forms of unwanted sexual contact (e.g., sexual battery). Following the typology put forth in the previously conducted CSA Study, we classify sexual assault based on how the assault was achieved. Virtually all sexual assault research distinguishes between assaults occurring as a result of physical force or threats of physical force and those that do not involve the use or threat of force. Similarly, in the HBCU-CSA Study, we consider physically forced sexual assault as a distinct category of assault. Another means through which sexual assault is achieved is incapacitation of the victim. Legal definitions of sexual assault factor in one’s ability to provide consent, and individuals who are incapacitated because of the effects of alcohol or drugs (or otherwise incapacitated, such as when they are unconscious or asleep) are incapable of consenting. Incapacitated sexual assault can be broken down into three subtypes: alcohol or other drug (AOD)-enabled, drug-facilitated, and other incapacitated sexual assault. Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is defined as unwanted sexual contact occurring when the victim is incapacitated and unable to provide consent after she has been given a drug without her knowledge or consent. If a woman experiences unwanted sexual contact when she is incapacitated and unable to provide consent because of voluntary consumption of alcohol or other drugs, we classify it as AOD-enabled sexual assault. Other incapacitated sexual assaults capture the remaining, and uncommon, situations in which a victim can be incapacitated, such as by being asleep or unconscious. The HBCU-CSA Study addresses several gaps in the existing literature and makes a number of contributions to the field. It is the first to generate prevalence estimates of sexual assault on a collection of HBCU campuses and thus enable us to explore whether findings on sexual assault generated from the “general” population of undergraduate women are consistent with the experiences of undergraduate women attending HBCUs. Furthermore, it is among the first to explore in substantial detail the responses to sexual assault by campus law enforcement (as well as service providers) based on data gathered both from victims themselves and from law enforcement and service provider staff. Learning more about the extent to which sexual assault is reported among HBCU students, and the criminal justice and service provider response to such reporting, is extremely important so we can assess the efficacy of these responses and make necessary policy and practice changes capable of improving the services for victims and ultimately preventing sexual assault.

Details: Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2010. 93p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 17, 2011 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/233614.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/233614.pdf

Shelf Number: 121049

Keywords:
Colleges and Universities
Minorities
Rape
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence
Victims of Crime

Author: Zannoni, Elio

Title: Jewellery Store Robbery: A Victim Risk and Intervention Perspective

Summary: This exploratory study investigated jewellery store robbery from a victim risk and intervention perspective. An explanation of the phenomenon was offered based on the information obtained from a review of the existing literature, case studies, personal observations at jewellery stores, discussions with jewellers, a scientific questionnaire submitted to jewellers, and semi-structured and structured interviews conducted with a group of knowledgeable respondents and victimized jewellers respectively. A predominantly quantitative research method was applied. The research findings obtained during the study enabled a proposal for a jewellery store robbery intervention model based on the situational crime prevention perpsective, which is inclusive of decisional, environmental, situational, procedural, personnel and business-oriented strategies.

Details: Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa, 2009. 259p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 11, 2011 at: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1693/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2009

Country: South Africa

URL: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1693/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 121717

Keywords:
Commercial Robbery
Jewellery Store Robbery
Situational Crime Prevention
Stolen Goods
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Zannoni, Elio

Title: Jewellery Store Robbery: A Victim Risk and Intervention Perspective

Summary: The exploratory study investigated jewellery store robbery from a victim risk and intervention perspective. An explanation of the phenomenon was offered based on the information obtained from a review of the existing literature, case studies, personal observations at jewellery stores, discussions with jewellers, a scientific questionnaire submitted to jewellers, and semi-structured and structured interviews conducted with a group of knowledgeable respondents and victimised jewellers respectively. A predominantly quantitative research method was applied. The research findings obtained during the study enabled a proposal for a jewellery store robbery intervention model based on the situational crime prevention perspective, which is inclusive of decisional, environmental, situational, procedural, personnel and business-oriented strategies.

Details: Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa, 2008. 259p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 11, 2011 at: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1693/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2008

Country: South Africa

URL: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1693/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 122016

Keywords:
Jewelry Stores
Robbery
Theft
Victims of Crime

Author: Oliver, willard M.

Title: Community Policing and Victim Services in Texas

Summary: This report focuses on the concepts of community policing, primarily the key tenets of police-community partnerships and problem solving, for improved police services to crime victims in the State of Texas. The report details the extent of victimization in the United States, as well as Texas, and then details the extent of police services for victims and victims’ services. The report explains how community policing may enhance services to victims by defining community policing, its tenets, and how community policing would better deliver victims’ services. By way of example, it details two issues: repeat victimizations and domestic violence. The report then concludes with a discussion of future partnerships between the police and victims.

Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victims' Institute, Sam Houston State University, 2011. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 19, 2011 at: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/Community_Policing5.5.11.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/Community_Policing5.5.11.pdf

Shelf Number: 122101

Keywords:
Community Policing (Texas)
Domestic Violence
Police-Community Relations
Repeat Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Idaho State Police. Statistical Analysis Center

Title: Idaho Crime Victimization Survey 2008

Summary: The 2008 Idaho Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) was conducted between March to May 2009. Survey participants were randomly selected from either a landline or a cell -phone sampling frame. Total participants included 2,664 landline and 565 cell-phone households. Participants were asked about any instances of property crime, violent crime, stalking, sexual assault, and domestic violence occurring in 2008. In addition, respondents were questioned regarding personal perceptions of neighborhood safety and satisfaction with police services. The 2008 ICVS survey enhances knowledge of crime and victimization in Idaho and assists in evaluating satisfaction with and effectiveness of criminal justice and health service programs. The report provides a summary of findings from the 2008 ICVS.

Details: Meridian, ID: Idaho State Police, Statistical Analysis Center, 2011. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 15, 2011 at: http://www.isp.idaho.gov/pgr/Research/documents/2008Reportd_000.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.isp.idaho.gov/pgr/Research/documents/2008Reportd_000.pdf

Shelf Number: 122395

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys (Idaho)
Victims of Crime

Author: Eckley, Lindsay

Title: Speke. Making Waves. Final Evaluation Report

Summary: Following the successful development and implementation of the Making WAVES pilot project in Breckfield, Liverpool (Anderson et al, 2008), in 2009 the project was established in Speke to facilitate local multi-agency work in identifying intimidated witnesses and supporting them through the criminal justice system (CJS) and beyond (Anderson et al, 2008). At that time, there were high levels of crime in the neighbourhood and residents were reluctant to report crime to any agency due to the fear of reprisals and of being labelled a grass (Furness et al, 2009). The Speke Making WAVES project was implemented to help alleviate such issues by acting as a neutral and confidential route for reporting crime and providing access to support services. The Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University was commissioned to conduct a process and outcome evaluation of the project. This report summarises the overall evaluation, including: project implementation and development; project benefits and impact; caseload analysis; key partner and project user views on Making WAVES; and project recommendations.

Details: Liverpool: Liverpool John Moores University, Centre for Public Health, 2011. 46p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 16, 2011 at: http://www.cph.org.uk/showPublication.aspx?pubid=728

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cph.org.uk/showPublication.aspx?pubid=728

Shelf Number: 122749

Keywords:
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Witness Intimidation (U.K.)

Author: Warren, Ian

Title: Princes Park: Making WAVES. Final Evaluation Report

Summary: The Making WAVES (Witness and Victim Encouragement and Support) project has been established in several areas in Liverpool to facilitate local multi-agency work in identifying and supporting intimidated witnesses (Anderson et al, 2008). Witness intimidation is often perpetrated by individuals with the intention of preventing a crime being reported to the police or preventing evidence being given in court. It can take many forms, from low-level threats to organised operations aimed at scaring victims and witnesses (Fyfe and McKay, 2000). Intimidation may also occur at a community level, with a general fear of reporting crime due to the risk of reprisals by the offender or the perception that the authorities will not do anything (Healy, 1995; Anderson et al, 2009; Warren et al, 2009). Furthermore, the stigma attached to being labelled a ‘grass’ deters victims and witnesses from reporting crimes (Yates, 2006). The consequences for the victim or witness can be serious in terms of the potential for physical harm as well as social and emotional distress (Home Office, 1998). To inform the development of the Making WAVES projects that have been implemented across Liverpool, the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University was commissioned to conduct a suite of process and outcome evaluations. This report presents the findings from the evaluation of the Princes Park Making WAVES (Witness and Victim Encouragement and Support) project. The evaluation was split into three stages. In 2009, a community crime and witness intimidation survey was conducted to inform the development and implementation of the project (Warren et al, 2009). A focus group was also conducted with members of the black and minority ethnic (BME) community to complement this survey. The project area has a sizeable and diverse non-white population and the aim of the focus group was to gather their opinions on crime and witness intimidation in their community (Warren et al, 2010). The focus group explored the residents’ perceptions of levels of crime and witness intimidation in Princes Park. During stage two, an interim report was produced that provided recommendations for the development of the project in its early stages (Warren et al, 2010). The report presented here brings together the overall evaluation (stage three), including: project set up and implementation; caseload and key stakeholder and project user (cases) views on project implementation.

Details: Liverpool: Liverpool John Moores University, Centre for Public Health, 2011.40p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 16, 2011 at: http://www.cph.org.uk/showPublication.aspx?pubid=727

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cph.org.uk/showPublication.aspx?pubid=727

Shelf Number: 122750

Keywords:
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Witness Intimidatioin (U.K.)

Author: Lawson, Philippa

Title: Responding to Victims of Identity Crime: A Manual for Law Enforcement Agents, Prosecutors and Policy-Makers

Summary: Identity crime is a serious crime with potentially devastating effects on individual victims. With recent amendments to the Canadian Criminal Code creating new offences for identity theft and identity fraud, it is incumbent on law enforcement to take reports of such crime and to investigate them thoroughly. It is also incumbent on law enforcement to assist victims by providing appropriate advice and referrals. This Manual is designed to support and strengthen the understanding of Canadian law enforcement officers, investigators, prosecutors and policy-makers about victims of identity related crime, so as to better assist victims of these types of crimes and ultimately to reduce the incidence and impact of such crimes. Improving law enforcement response to victims not only serves to help victims recover their reputations and prevent further damage, but it also contributes to the identification and prosecution of identity criminals. The manual includes six modules and several printable appendices for use by police officers and investigators in their daily operations. It is designed to be useful both as a quick reference tool in specific cases and as a more detailed source of information for professional training purposes.

Details: Vancouver: International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, 2011. 113p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2011 at: http://www.icclr.law.ubc.ca/files/identity_crime/00%20Victims%20of%20Identity%20Crime%20Manual.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.icclr.law.ubc.ca/files/identity_crime/00%20Victims%20of%20Identity%20Crime%20Manual.pdf

Shelf Number: 122771

Keywords:
Criminal Investigation
Identity Theft (Canada)
Victims of Crime

Author: Brennan, Shannon

Title: Violent Victimization of Aboriginal Women in the Canadian Provinces, 2009

Summary: In Canada, numerous programs and policies have been developed to address violence against women (Johnson and Dawson 2010; Status of Women Canada 2002). Despite these efforts, previous studies have shown that violence against women in Canada continues to be a persistent and ongoing problem, one that is compounded for Aboriginal women (Brzozowski 2006). Given these findings, it is important to differentiate between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women’s experiences of victimization, to better understand the extent of violence against Aboriginal women and the context in which it occurs. One source of information that can be used to measure violence against Aboriginal women in Canada is the General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization. By asking respondents aged 15 years or older to recount their experiences of victimization, the GSS captures detailed information on criminal incidents that may or may not have been brought to the attention of police. Using GSS data from 2009, this article looks at the prevalence and nature of self-reported violence against Aboriginal women in the ten provinces. In addition, reporting of victimization to police, victims’ use of formal and informal support services, and the consequences of violent victimization are discussed. Finally, this report examines Aboriginal women’s perceptions of personal safety and their satisfaction with the criminal justice system.

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2011. 21p.

Source: Internet Resource: Juristat Article: Accessed September 20, 2011 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/article/11439-eng.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/article/11439-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 122794

Keywords:
Aboriginals
Crime Statistics
Indigenous Peoples
Victim Services
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Wagner, Alex

Title: Analysis of Massachusetts Hate Crimes Data: An Overview of Reported Hate Crimes in Massachusetts Between 2000 and 2009

Summary: Reports of hate crime related incidents in the Commonwealth between 2000 and 2009 were analyzed utilizing data from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Reporting Unit (CRU). This report presents findings on the 3,6481 hate crime incidents in Massachusetts over the ten-year period. The CRU defines hate crimes as “any criminal act to which a bias motive is evident as a contributing factor. The Reporting Act covers bias on account of race, religion, ethnicity, handicap, gender, or sexual orientation. Hate crimes may be reported only by law enforcement agencies” (CRU,2006). The number of offenses, offenders, victims, and bias motivations may not coincide with the number of incidents or cases because each incident may consist of multiple offenses, bias motivations, victims, and offenders. Below are the key findings from our analyses. A trend analysis indicated there was a pronounced ten-year decline in reported hate crime incidents. This trend occurred across all bias categories (i.e., race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and gender), as well as for all specific bias types within bias categories. The year 2008 was an outlier in terms of the low number of overall reported hate crime incidents. Hate crime incidents rose between 2008 and 2009, however, the increase is not evident from 2007 to 2009. The vast majority of reported hate crimes (92.2%) only reported one bias motivation, while less than 1.5% of all reported hate crimes reported more than two bias motivations. The three most frequent bias motivation categories were based on race/ethnicity (58.3%), sexual orientation (21.5%), and religion (18.6%). Just these three bias motivation categories accounted for 98.3% of all hate crimes. This was generally consistent with research findings from other states and across the nation. The three most frequent within-bias motivation types for hate crimes were Anti-Black (31.7%), Anti-Gay (male, 17.5%), and Anti-Semitic (13.5%), again generally consistent with other research findings. White hate crime victims were more common than any other racial/ethnic background (52.3%), as opposed to victims from other race/ethnic groups: black (29.8%), Hispanic (7.1%), Asian (6.4%) or other (4.3%). Between 2000 and 2009, a third of hate crime victims were between the ages 16 and 25 (29.4%), whereas victims over the age of 25 accounted for more than 40 percent of hate crime victims (20.5% of victims were 36 to 45 and 20.2 percent were 26 to 35). Victims aged 10 and younger comprised the smallest fraction of reported hate crimes (2.1%).

Details: Boston: Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, 2011. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 27, 2011 at: http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/programs/fjj/analysis_of_reported_hate_crimes_in_massachusetts_between_2000_and_2009.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/programs/fjj/analysis_of_reported_hate_crimes_in_massachusetts_between_2000_and_2009.pdf

Shelf Number: 122919

Keywords:
Bias Crimes
Crime Statistics
Hate Crimes (Massachusetts)
Victims of Crime

Author: Furgeson, Thomas

Title: Wyoming Crime Victimization Survey, 2011

Summary: Beginning in January 2011 the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (WYSAC) at the University of Wyoming conducted a state-wide telephone survey of Wyoming residents to gather information on crime prevalence along with opinions and perceptions of crime in the state and local communities. The 2011 Wyoming Crime Victimization Survey (WCVS) was funded through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) State Justice Statistics (SJS) program. Modeled in part on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), this survey was customized to Wyoming during questionnaire development. An additional component to this survey was a set of questions addressing community attitudes and perceptions of law enforcement and government. The data collection period was January 26 through February 25, 2011. All Wyoming counties are represented in the survey and 1,698 completed interviews were secured. The 2011 WCVS is designed to provide a detailed picture of crime incidents, victims, and trends throughout the state of Wyoming. The survey focuses on three major themes. 1. Nature and Frequency of Crime: Two major types of crime are addressed: violent crimes and property crimes. The survey collected detailed information on the crimes of rape/sexual assault, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, and stalking. 2. Attitudes toward Policing and Government: Residents were queried about their contact with law enforcement agencies and about their attitudes toward law enforcement authorities. There were also questions about perceived injustice and profiling. 3. Information about Victims, Offenders, and Crimes: The survey gathered information about the age, sex, race, ethnicity, marital status, income, and education level of crime victims. The survey also gathered information on offenders’ relationship to the victim, the physical and economic consequences of crime, and whether or not (and why not) the crime was reported to police. Generally, Wyoming residents feel safe in their communities. About 94% always or almost always feel safe, as opposed to only 1.4% who never, or almost never, feel safe. The vast majority of residents also live without fear of violent crime. About 92% are never or almost never fearful of being the victim of a violent crime. Results from the survey show that 61% of Wyoming residents feel that crime has either stayed the same or decreased in the past three years, as opposed to 33.2% who feel crime has somewhat increased and 5.8% who feel that crime has greatly increased over the past three years. There is a similar distribution with regard to estimations of how crime will change in the upcoming three years. Survey results show that over 64% of Wyoming residents feel that crime will stay the same or decrease over the next three years, while another 31.2% feeling that crime will somewhat increase. Only 4.4% indicate that they feel crime will greatly increase over the next three years. For the most part, Wyoming residents are not concerned about crime. Wyoming residents are concerned very little about most violent crime, and only marginally concerned about property crime within their home state. Property crime and theft top the list with 15.4% of Wyomingites indicating that they are very concerned about ―having [their] property vandalized‖ and 10.5% that they are concerned about ―being cheated or conned out of [their] money.‖ Residents are less concerned about violent crime and personal theft, as less than 4% indicate being very concerned about each: household burglary (while at home), sexual assault, robbery, or murder. The vast majority of Wyoming residents are confident or feel neutral about government and policing institutions whether local, state, or national. The institution with which there is the least confidence is the federal government: Data show that 42.6% of Wyoming residents are not confident in the federal government, followed by 16.1% who feel the same way—not confident—about city government. For the most part, citizens feel that Wyoming law enforcement (WLE, hereafter) officers do their job well, and interact with the public appropriately. Over 87% of Wyomingites feel that generally, WLE officers are polite and use appropriate manners during citizen contact. Similarly, over 80% feel that officers are reliable, competent, do a good job of performing their mission, treat citizens with respect, and are attentive to the questions and concerns of citizens. Notable is that 17.4% disagree or strongly disagree with the statement that WLE officers typically treat citizens the same regardless of their ethnic background. Property crime is the most frequently experienced type of crime victimization. Around 15% of residents indicate that within the past 12 months, someone stole or attempted to steal their car, broke into or tried to break into their home, or vandalized their property. Violent crime appears to occur in Wyoming far less than property crime. Robbery was experienced in the last 12 months by less than 1% of residents; 7.1% had been threatened with assault, while 1% appear to have experienced actual assault. A total of five respondents (or 0.3%) indicate to have been forced or experienced an attempt to be forced into unwanted sexual activity. Less than 7% of residents appear to have been stalked in any way, although it is noteworthy that 1 in 12 (8.5%) persons with high-speed internet have felt threatened by another person sending unsolicited messages via email, instant message, or social networks. Survey results indicate that in the past 12 months 10.6% of Wyoming residents were the victim of someone using or attempting to use their credit cards or credit card numbers without their permission. The most common aftereffect of victimization is talking with a psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional, with 12.3% of victims indicating to have taken such actions. It appears that Wyomingites report crime to police at higher rates than the national levels. Most often reported were robbery (76.9%) and assault (76.5%), with property crime not far behind at 75.9%. While it is troubling that only 20% of sexual assaults were reported to police, it should be noted that this percentage accounts for a single case out of the five total sexual assaults indicated by survey respondents.

Details: Laramie, WY: Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center, University of Wyoming, 2011. 81p.

Source: Internet Resource: WYSAC Technical Report No. SRC-1103: Accessed November 22, 2011 at: http://wysac.uwyo.edu/Reports.aspx?TypeId=4

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://wysac.uwyo.edu/Reports.aspx?TypeId=4

Shelf Number: 123427

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Survey (Wyoming)
Victims of Crime

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Title: The Criminal Justice Response to Support Victims of Acts of Terrorism

Summary: The handbook draws on the national experiences of a broad range of geographically representative criminal justice experts regarding programmes of assistance and support for victims of acts of terrorism. This handbook is intended to share experiences related to support mechanisms for victims of terrorism, and to give policymakers and criminal justice officials practical insights into challenges faced, and good practices developed, by their counterparts at the national and regional level. Our hope is that this handbook will aid Member States in the development and implementation of programmes of assistance and support for victims of acts of terrorism within their respective criminal justice systems.

Details: Vienna, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 6, 2011 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/terrorism/Victims_Rights_E-Book_EN.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/terrorism/Victims_Rights_E-Book_EN.pdf

Shelf Number: 123493

Keywords:
Terrorism
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Franklin, Cortney A.

Title: Risk Factors Associated with Women’s Victimization

Summary: The prevalence of victimization on college campuses has been the focus of study for decades. Research indicates that campus crime is relatively problematic, but that sexual assault risk is epidemic. Specifically, prevalence estimates have suggested that 25 percent of college women will experience attempted or completed rape during their college career.1 More recent work has reported incidents rates that range from 15 to 30 percent.2, 3, 4 This study focused on women’s routine activities and levels of self-control as they related to property, personal, and sexual assault victimization. The findings indicated that: • Decreases in self-control produced increases in victimization for college women • The risk of property victimization increased when women spent more time shopping and partying. Additionally, living off campus, participation in drug sales, and being in their early years of college increased property victimization risk among these University women • Personal victimization was not so much related to spending time away from home, but was related to living off campus and participating in drug sales behavior • The risk of sexual assault victimization increased with time spent on campus and time spent partying The results presented in this report provide important implications for crime prevention strategies on Texas college campuses.

Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victims' Institute, Sam Houston State University, Criminal Justice Center, 2011. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2012 at: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/Risk%20Factors%20Final%20Print.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/Risk%20Factors%20Final%20Print.pdf

Shelf Number: 123557

Keywords:
Campus Crime
Colleges and Universities
Female Victims
Sex Crimes
Sexual Assault
Victims of Crime

Author: Great Britain. Crown Prosecution Service

Title: CPS Pilot on Forced Marriage and So-Called 'Honour' Crime: Findings

Summary: On 1 July 2007, the CPS implemented a pilot project to identify and monitor forced marriage and so-called ‘honour’ crime cases for the first time. The aims of the pilot were: a) To identify the number and pattern of cases b) To identify issues facing prosecutors in accurately identifying, managing and prosecuting these cases c) To inform the development of any national guidance and training for prosecutors. The pilot ran in four CPS Areas: Lancashire, London, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. Within London there were four participating Boroughs (Newham, Brent, Tower Hamlets and Ealing). The pilot ran for nine months and concluded on 31 March 2008. Within each Area, in advance of the pilot, nominated prosecutors (known as specialist prosecutors) were selected, provided with guidance and trained to lead and advise colleagues on the prosecution of these cases in their respective Areas. A new monitoring system was also implemented as part of the pilot. This involved specialist prosecutors forwarding to a lead advisor any suspected case of forced marriage and/or so-called ‘honour’ crime in order for its status to be confirmed and a monitoring ‘flag’ to be applied. The lead advisor also acted as a direct point of contact for guidance and advice for prosecutors in relation to identifying, managing and prosecuting these cases during the pilot. The CPS also initiated a research project in support of the pilot. The research adopted a mixed method approach involving qualitative and quantitative methods. It was also, in some respects, longitudinal in design. Data was collected in three stages: 1) pre-pilot; 2) during the course of the pilot; and 3) post-pilot. The key findings from the research project are presented in this report.

Details: London: Crown Prosecution Service, 2008. 47p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 18, 2012 at: http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/findings_from_cps_pilot_on_forced_marriage.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/findings_from_cps_pilot_on_forced_marriage.pdf

Shelf Number: 123653

Keywords:
Forced Marriage (U.K.)
Honour Crimes
Victims of Crime

Author: Kongmuang, Charatdao

Title: SimCrime: A Spatial Microsimulation Model for the Analysing of Crime in Leeds

Summary: This Working Paper presents SimCrime, a static spatial microsimulation model for crime in Leeds. It is designed to estimate the likelihood of being a victim of crime and crime rates at the small area level in Leeds and to answer what-if questions about the effects of changes in the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the future population. The model is based on individual microdata. Specifically, SimCrime combines individual microdata from the British Crime Survey (BCS) for which location data is only at the scale of large areas, with census statistics for smaller areas to create synthetic microdata estimates for output areas (OAs) in Leeds using a simulated annealing method. The new microdata dataset includes all the attributes from the original datasets. This allows variables such as crime victimisation from the BCS to be directly estimated for OAs.

Details: Leeds, UK: School of Geography, University Leeds, 2006. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper 06/1: Accessed January 20, 2012 at: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/4982/1/SimCrime_WorkingPaper_version1.1.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/4982/1/SimCrime_WorkingPaper_version1.1.pdf

Shelf Number: 123688

Keywords:
Crime Analysis (U.K.)
Geographic Studies
Geographical Information Systems
Socioeconomic Status
Spatial Analysis
Victims of Crime

Author: Takala, Jukka-Pekka

Title: Looking at violence in the Nordic Countries: statistical sources, variations, improving measurement

Summary: This report reviews and discusses violence statistics and their problems and possible improvements from various angles. The report is based on the work of the "statistical" subproject of the Nordic Project on Violence: "Violence and its reduction in the Nordic countries" (Våld och våldsreducering i Norden) financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and carried out by the Nordic councils for crime prevention and the Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology. The Statistics Subproject was to look at three related but originally separate subprojects of the original overall plan: 1. To describe and compare violence with the help of extant statistics; 2. To chart variations in violence in the Nordic countries; 3. To develop instruments of measuring violence in intimate relations including violence in the family. With the resources available, the subproject was unable to carry out any of these tasks in a truly systematic and comprehensive manner. However, we hope that the variable material we were able to produce on all these themes can contribute to better accounting for violence and be of help when devising methods for preventing violence. The report describes levels and trends in violence. It touches on problems and solutions in their measurement. Some suggestions are tentative, others are more firmly established and the reader can turn to the research and web pages that are referred to in the reports.

Details: Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordic Council of Ministers, TemaNord, 2009. 95p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 23, 2012 at http://www.norden.org/sv/publikationer/publikationer/2009-542/at_download/publicationfile

Year: 2009

Country: Denmark

URL: http://www.norden.org/sv/publikationer/publikationer/2009-542/at_download/publicationfile

Shelf Number: 123751

Keywords:
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Orr, Skellington Kate

Title: Summary Justice Reform: Victims, Witnesses and Public Perceptions Evaluation

Summary: There was mixed awareness and understanding of the summary justice reforms. While professionals had some awareness, members of the public and victims and lay witnesses knew little of the reforms or the Scottish summary criminal system overall. When explained, most of the reforms were viewed positively by professionals and members of the public alike, and there was general agreement that the changes were a move in the right direction. There remained some scepticism about whether some of the specific reforms would meet the desired outcomes over time. Though not the aim of the summary justice reforms, better communication about what is required of victims and witnesses involved in the system may be needed and, for victims, overall experiences seem to be heavily determined by having case progress and case outcome information. For members of the public, confidence in the system is driven by proportionate sentencing and fair treatment of victims and witnesses.

Details: Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Government Social Research, 2012. 85p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2012 at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00386764.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00386764.pdf

Shelf Number: 123954

Keywords:
Criminal Justice Reform (Scotland)
Evaluative Studies
Public Opinions
Victims of Crime
Witnesses

Author: Khan, Sadiq

Title: Punishment & Reform: How Our Justice System Can Help Cut Crime

Summary: ‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ was more than a clever soundbite; it was a successful approach to criminal justice policy that left crime 43 per cent lower when Labour departed office than when it entered. The challenge now is to build on this legacy and further reduce crime, but within the tough spending constraints imposed by straitened times. To inform the conclusions of the Labour Party policy review, Sadiq Khan MP brings together a group of experts from across the criminal justice field to investigate reform. Their essays do not represent Labour Party policy, but are suggestions and inspiration from some of the most respected figures in the area. The authors think creatively about how to get the balance right between deterrent, punishment and rehabilitation and how to create a criminal justice system that lowers crime and protects communities whilst breaking the cycle of re-offending. One aspect that is often overlooked is the experience of the victim. Victims should be at the heart of our criminal justice system, not only because they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, but also because their co-operation and trust is vital for it to function effectively and bring offenders to justice. But victims are often treated as mere bystanders as their cases proceed through the courts. This needs to change. In Punishment and Reform: How our justice system can help cut crime, Lord Victor Adebowale, Baroness Jean Corston, Shauneen Lambe, Paul McDowell, Kevin McGrath, Barry Mizen, Dame Helen Reeves, Professor Robert Reiner, Professor Julian V Roberts, Matthew Ryder QC, Lord Norman Warner and Phil Wheatley CB consider what changes could be made to support victims and ensure justice is served more effectively in our country.

Details: London: The Fabian Society, 2011. 122p.

Source: Fabian Ideas 630: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2012 at http://www.fabians.org.uk/images/Punishment_and_Reform_WEB.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.fabians.org.uk/images/Punishment_and_Reform_WEB.pdf

Shelf Number: 124421

Keywords:
Criminal Justice Policy
Re-Offending
Victims of Crime
Victims Services

Author: Amnesty International

Title: Gender and Torture: Conference Report

Summary: Torture has been widely viewed in the past in terms of pain and suffering inflicted on a person – usually assumed to be male – in the custody of the state. However, this narrow understanding excludes many forms of severe pain and suffering deliberately inflicted on women and girls. It fails to recognize as torture crimes such as rape, domestic violence, targeted rape of lesbians, violence committed in the name of “honour” and also the infliction of severe pain and suffering through denial of reproductive rights. Such crimes are committed not only by agents of the state, but also by non-state actors with the acquiescence of the state. This report summarizes a two-day conference on the gender dimensions of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Held in London in May 2011, the conference brought together representatives of NGOs and academics from around the world. They reflected on the role of the legal framework on torture in achieving justice and in holding states to account. Their findings are of interest to everyone concerned to clarify the law on torture and to ensure that as the law evolves, victims and survivors benefit and are able to seek an effective remedy.

Details: London: Amnesty International and REDRESS, 2011. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2012 at http://www.redress.org/downloads/publications/GenderandTortureConferenceReport-191011.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.redress.org/downloads/publications/GenderandTortureConferenceReport-191011.pdf

Shelf Number: 124425

Keywords:
Female Victims
Gender Violence
Torture
Victims of Crime

Author: U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Title: Using FACTA Remedies: An FTC Report on a Survey of Identity Theft Victims

Summary: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) maintains a longstanding and comprehensive program to combat identity theft. The FTC enforces a variety of laws requiring entities to protect consumer information and ensure that such information does not fall into the hands of identity thieves or other unauthorized persons. For example, the FTC enforces the Safeguards Rule under the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act; the Fair Credit Reporting Act; and the FTC Act's proscription against unfair and deceptive acts or practices in cases where a business makes false or misleading claims about its data security procedures, or where its failure to employ reasonable security measures causes or is likely to cause substantial consumer injury that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers and not outweighed by countervailing benefits. Since 2001, the Commission has brought 35 law enforcement actions to ensure that businesses implement reasonable safeguards to protect the consumer information they maintain. In addition, the FTC manages the Identity Theft Clearinghouse, a secure online database of identity theft-related complaints, and analyzes this data to target consumer education efforts and assist criminal law enforcers. The FTC also disseminates consumer education materials on identity theft, both directly and through public and private sector partners. To further combat the problem of identity theft, in 2007, then-President Bush established an Identity Theft Task Force to craft a comprehensive national strategy. The Task Force issued a strategic plan, making over 30 recommendations for improving the federal identity theft strategy. One of the recommendations was that the agencies involved in enforcing the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) assess the impact and effectiveness of the rights established by Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) through the use of surveys. FACTA gives consumers the right to: place fraud alerts with the consumer reporting agencies (CRAs); request a free credit report from each of the three national CRAs (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) when placing a fraud alert; block fraudulent information from appearing in their credit reports; receive a notice of these and other rights from the CRAs. Accordingly, the FTC conducted a survey of consumers who had contacted the FTC to report that they were victims of identity theft. The survey was designed to determine these consumers' general satisfaction with utilizing their FACTA rights and to examine the types of problems and issues they encountered while doing so. Because almost all of the FACTA rights involve the CRAs, which maintain consumer credit files, the survey focused largely on the victims' interactions with the CRAs. This report summarizes the FTC staff's methodology in carrying out this survey, the results of the survey, and recommendations for further steps to assist consumers in utilizing their FACTA rights.

Details: Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission, 2012. 73p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 13, 2012 at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2012/03/factareport.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2012/03/factareport.pdf

Shelf Number: 124516

Keywords:
Consumer Fraud
Identity Theft (U.S.)
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Great Britain. Home Office

Title: Focus on the Victim: Summary Report on the ASB Call Handling Trials

Summary: During 2011, the Home Office worked with eight police force areas to trial a new approach to handling antisocial behaviour calls from the public and then manage their cases. The aim was to improve the ability of forces to identify victims most at risk and to respond appropriately with their local partners. The trials represent a 'bottom-up' effort to shift practitioners' focus to protecting victims and communities, rather than just logging types of antisocial behaviour. This summary report explains the five key principles to call-handling and case-management and how the trial forces adapted them to suit their local circumstances. It summarises the results and lessons learned from the trials. The report includes annexes with sample call-handler question-sets, information-sharing agreement between the police and local agencies and case studies.

Details: London: Home Office, 2012. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 10, 2012 at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/asb-focus-on-the-victim?view=Binary

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/asb-focus-on-the-victim?view=Binary

Shelf Number: 124917

Keywords:
Anti-Social Behavior (U.K.)
Police Performance
Policing
Victims of Crime

Author: Great Britain. Home Office. Secretary of State

Title: Putting Victims First - More Effective Responses to Anti-Social Behaviour

Summary: 'Putting victims first – more effective responses to antisocial behaviour'. It sets out the government's plans to deliver on the commitment to introduce more effective measures to tackle antisocial behaviour, and puts them in the wider context of the our reforms to the policing and criminal justice landscape and work to turn round the lives of the most troubled families. The term 'antisocial behaviour' masks a range of nuisance, disorder and crime which affects people's lives on a daily basis: from vandalism and graffiti; to drunk or rowdy behaviour in public; to intimidation and harassment. All have huge impacts on the lives of millions of people in this country. None are acceptable. Many police forces, local authorities and social landlords are working hard to to deal with these problems. However, too often, the harm that antisocial behaviour causes, particularly when it is persistently targeted at the most vulnerable people in our society, is overlooked. At the heart of our new approach is a fundamental shift towards focussing on the needs of victims, rather than the type of behaviour. We know what victims of antisocial behaviour want. First and foremost they want the behaviour to stop, and the perpetrators to be punished for what they've done. They want the authorities to take their problem seriously, to understand the impact on their lives and to protect them from further harm. They want the issue dealt with swiftly and they don’t want it to happen again. The mistake of the past was to think that the government could tackle antisocial behaviour itself. However, this is a fundamentally local problem that looks and feels different in every area and to every victim. Local agencies should respond to the priorities of the communities they serve, not to those imposed from Whitehall. From November this year, directly elected police and crime commissioners will be a powerful new voice for local people, able to push local priorities to prevent antisocial behaviour from being relegated to a 'second-tier' issue. The government does, however, have a crucial role in supporting local areas. We will do that by: focusing the response to anti-social behaviour on the needs of victims - helping agencies to identify and support people at high risk of harm, giving frontline professionals more freedom to do what they know works, and improving our understanding of the experiences of victims empowering communities to get involved in tackling anti-social behaviour – including by giving victims and communities the power to ensure action is taken to deal with persistent antisocial behaviour through a new community trigger, and making it easier for communities to demonstrate in court the harm they are suffering ensuring professionals are able to protect the public quickly – giving them faster, more effective formal powers, and speeding up the eviction process for the most antisocial tenants, in response to recent consultations by the Home Office and Department for Communities and Local Government focusing on long-term solutions – by addressing the underlying issues that drive antisocial behaviour, such as binge drinking, drug use, mental health issues, troubled family backgrounds and irresponsible dog ownership It is vital that those who will be affected by these changes, from the professionals who will use the new powers, to victims seeking protection from targeted abuse, can continue to shape the reforms so that we get them right first time. We will therefore publish a draft bill for pre-legislative scrutiny before introducing legislation.

Details: London: Home Office, 2012. 58p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2012 at: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8367/8367.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8367/8367.pdf

Shelf Number: 125269

Keywords:
Anti-Social Behavior (U.K.)
Disorderly Conduct
Graffiti
Nuisance Behaviors and Disorders
Vandalism
Victims of Crime

Author: Davies, Helen

Title: Sexual Violence in London - A Needs Assessment to Inform the Review of the London Havens Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Summary: The London Sexual Violence Needs Assessment was commissioned by the NHS in London (through the Specialised Commissioning Group) and the Metropolitan Police Service (Operation Sapphire). The NHS and MPS jointly fund Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provision for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted in London. Commissioners initiated the needs assessment process as part of a review of Havens services eleven years since the first London Haven was established. This is the first London-wide Sexual Violence needs assessment, and its purpose is to: - quantify and better understand the needs of Londoners who have experienced sexual assault; - identify / estimate the levels and nature of unmet or partially met need; - map supply and uptake of sexual assault services, including the Havens; - identify gaps between need and SARC supply in London - identify issues related to quality of services and/or equity of access - support consideration of options for improving Londoners’ access to appropriate SARC provision - influence decisions regarding future commissioning priorities for the London Havens.

Details: London: MBARC, 2012. 80p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2012 at: http://www.avaproject.org.uk/media/99053/final-needs-assessment.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.avaproject.org.uk/media/99053/final-needs-assessment.pdf

Shelf Number: 125898

Keywords:
Rape
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence (London, U.K.)
Victims of Crime

Author: Langton, Lynn

Title: Victimizations Not Reported to the Police, 2006-2010

Summary: This report presents findings, for a five-year period from 2006 to 2010, on the characteristics of crime victimizations that went unreported to police, according to data from the National Crime Victimization Survey. The characteristics examined in this report include the type of crime, whether it involved a weapon or injury, the victim-offender relationship, and demographic characteristics of the victim. For each of the characteristics examined, the report also details victims' rationale for not reporting to the police, including beliefs that the police would not or could not help, that the crime was not important enough to report, or fear of reprisal or getting the offender into trouble. The report also examines trends from 1994 to 2010 in the types of crime not reported to the police and the reasons victimizations went unreported. Highlights include the following: From 1994 to 2010, the percentage of serious violent crime—rape or sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault—that was not reported to police declined from 50% to 42%. From 2006 to 2010, the highest percentages of unreported crime were among household theft (67%) and rape or sexual assault (65%) victimizations, while the lowest percentage was among motor vehicle theft (17%) victimizations. From 2006 to 2010, a greater percentage of victimizations perpetrated by someone the victim knew well (62%) went unreported to police, compared to victimizations committed by a stranger (51%).

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 10, 2012 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/vnrp0610.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/vnrp0610.pdf

Shelf Number: 125953

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Unreported Crime
Victimization Surveys (U.S.)
Victims of Crime

Author: Catalano, Shannan

Title: Stalking Victims in the United States - Revised

Summary: Presents findings on victims of nonfatal stalking in the U.S., based on the largest data collection of such behavior to date. Data were collected in a supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and sponsored by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Topics covered in the report include stalking and harassment prevalence by demographic characteristics, duration of stalking and harassment, and the nature of behaviors experienced by victims.

Details: Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 10p.

Source: Special Report NCJ224527: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svus_rev.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svus_rev.pdf

Shelf Number: 126579

Keywords:
Harassment
Stalking
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime

Author: Koeppel, Maria

Title: The Long-Term Health Consequences of Bullying Victimization

Summary: Bullying consists of repeated acts of intimidation and/or abuse over a period of time and is a growing issue both nationally and globally, with serious implications for both the victims and the bullies (Glew et al., 2000; Marsh et al., 2001; Mayer & Cornell, 2010). Largely affecting schoolaged children and teenagers, the health effects of bullying may be long lasting. Links have been established between bullying and physical and psychological health issues, violent behavior, alcoholism and substance abuse, sleeping problems, and even suicide (Britt, 2001; Fekkes et al., 2004; Hershberger & D’Augelli, 1995; Menard, 2002; Ttofi & Farrington, 2008; Van der Wal et al., 2003). This research brief provides a summary of results from a recent study designed to examine the relationship between bullying and physical and mental health, health care access and utilization, and health risk behaviors. The full study will be published in a special issue of Justice Quarterly, titled “Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Public Health Studies.”

Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victims' Institute, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 2012. 4p.

Source: Report No. 2012-01: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://dev.cjcenter.org/_files/cvi/BullyHealthfinal.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://dev.cjcenter.org/_files/cvi/BullyHealthfinal.pdf

Shelf Number: 126582

Keywords:
Bullying
Mental Health
Physical Health
Victims of Crime

Author: Grove, Louise E.

Title: Preventing Repeat Victimization: A Systematic Review

Summary: A large proportion of all crimes are committed against crime victims who have been victimized before, a phenomenon known as repeat victimization. There is thus a potential to achieve substantial benefits by focusing crime prevention measures on individuals, institutions or objects that have previously been exposed to crime. Successful strategies of this kind would prevent repeat victimization, and thus also would prevent a substantial proportion of all the crimes committed. The crime prevention measures that are implemented to this end may take several different forms. The strategy is not primarily about specific kinds of measures, but rather involves a way of directing crime prevention measures at relevant targets. An increasing number of crime prevention initiatives have been directed at repeat victimization especially to prevent repeat burglaries. But how well do they work? What does the research tell us? This report presents a systematic review, including a statistical meta-analysis, of the effects of initiatives to prevent repeat victimization. The study follows the rigorous methodological requirements of a systematic review. The analysis combines the results from a number of evaluations that are considered to satisfy a list of empirical criteria for measuring effects as reliably as possible. The meta-analysis then uses the results from these previous evaluations to calculate and produce an overview of the effects associated with initiatives to prevent repeat victimization. The systematic review and the statistical meta-analysis presented in this report are based on a substantial number of empirical evaluations. Even though important questions remain unanswered, the study provides an accessible and far-reaching overview of the effects of initiatives to prevent repeat victimization. Generally, the results are encouraging; suggesting that appropriately targeted situational prevention measures can significantly reduce repeat burglaries.

Details: Stockholm, Sweden: Brottsförebyggande rådet/The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2012. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2012 at: http://www.bra.se/download/18.1ff479c3135e8540b29800015728/2012_Preventing_repeat_victimization2.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.bra.se/download/18.1ff479c3135e8540b29800015728/2012_Preventing_repeat_victimization2.pdf

Shelf Number: 126757

Keywords:
Burglaries
Crime Prevention
Repeat Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Holly, Jennifer

Title: Promising Practices: Mental Health Trust Responses to Domestic Violence

Summary: The links between experiences of trauma and psychological distress are well understood, with much research having been undertaken to explore the mental health sequelae to experiencing abuse in childhood, being the victim of sexual assault and rape, or witnessing violence in conflict settings (Golding, 1999; Harold and Howarth, 2004; Rees et al, 2011: Tanielian and Jaycox, 2008). In terms of domestic violence, the last decade has seen a significant growth in the understanding of survivors’ mental health problems being a “symptom of abuse” (Humphreys and Thiara, 2003). Female survivors of domestic violence experience markedly higher levels of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harming and suicidal ideation than the general female population (Campbell, 2002; Dutton et al, 2005; Howard et al, 2010a). Unsurprisingly, reported rates of lifetime experiences of domestic violence among psychiatric patients is higher than the general population. Despite the high prevalence of domestic violence in the lives of the people who use mental health services, experiences of abuse are not routinely enquired about (Howard et al, 2010b). Furthermore, practice-based evidence collated through the Stella Project Mental Health Initiative, a three-year project funded by the Department of Health to look at models of supporting survivors who have mental health and/or substance use problems, suggests that neither the links between experiences of abuse and service users’ current mental health problems nor the risk of further abuse are routinely assessed within mental health services in England. This research was completed to ascertain what Mental Health Trusts in England are currently doing to address domestic violence and to identify areas of good practice.

Details: London: AVA ( Against Violence and Abuse), 2012. 27p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 12, 2012 at http://www.avaproject.org.uk/media/106656/promising%20practices%20-%20mental%20health%20trust%20responses%20to%20domestic%20violence.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.avaproject.org.uk/media/106656/promising%20practices%20-%20mental%20health%20trust%20responses%20to%20domestic%20violence.pdf

Shelf Number: 126915

Keywords:
Domestic Violence (U.K.)
Mental Health Services (U.K.)
Victim Services (U.K.)
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Catalano, Shannan

Title: Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2010

Summary: This report presents data on nonfatal intimate partner violence among U.S. households from 1993 to 2010. Intimate partner violence includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend. This report presents trends in intimate partner violence by sex, and examines intimate partner violence against women by the victim’s age, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, and household composition. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects information on nonfatal crimes reported and not reported to the police from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Highlights: From 1994 to 2010, the overall rate of intimate partner violence in the United States declined by 64%, from 9.8 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older to 3.6 per 1,000. Intimate partner violence declined by more than 60% for both males and females from 1994 to 2010. From 1994 to 2010, about 4 in 5 victims of intimate partner violence were female. Females ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 generally experienced the highest rates of intimate partner violence. Compared to every other age group, a smaller percentage of female victims ages 12 to 17 were previously victimized by the same offender. The rate of intimate partner violence for Hispanic females declined 78%, from 18.8 victimizations per 1,000 in 1994 to 4.1 per 1,000 in 2010. Females living in households comprised of one female adult with children experienced intimate partner violence at a rate more than 10 times higher than households with married adults with children and 6 times higher than households with one female only.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2012 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4536

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4536

Shelf Number: 127013

Keywords:
Abused Wives
Abusive Men
Crime Statistics
Family Violence
Intimate Partner Violence (U.S.)
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Soirila, Ukri

Title: Trafficking in Human Beings and Foucauldian Biopower: A Case Study in the Expansion of the Human Rights Phenomenon

Summary: Trafficking in human beings has become one of the most talked about criminal concerns of the 21st century. This thesis asks how has the anti-trafficking campaign been translated in human rights language. Can human rights actually bring salvation to the victims of trafficking? The translation process has been a complicated process involving various actors, including scholars, feminist NGOs, local activists and global human rights NGOs. It is argued that in order to understand the measures of the authorities, and to assess the usefulness of human rights, it is necessary to adopt a Foucauldian perspective and to observe the measures as biopolitical defence mechanisms. Human rights have not become useless for the victims of trafficking, but they must be conceived as a universal tool to formulate political claims and challenge power.

Details: Helsinki, Finland: University of Helsinki, 2011. 104p.

Source: Master's Thesis, University of Helsinki: Internet Resource: Accessed December 22, 2012 at https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/28677/traffick.pdf?sequence=1

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/28677/traffick.pdf?sequence=1

Shelf Number: 127261

Keywords:
Human Rights
Human Trafficking
Victims of Crime
Victims Services

Author: Peterson, Ben

Title: Utah Crime Survey 2010: Victimization & Perceptions

Summary: Utah has an effective system of crime data collection in which local law enforcement agencies provide statistics to the State on the number and type of crimes that the public reports to them. There are limitations inherent in this type of system as an estimate of the actual prevalence of crime. The only crimes that can be counted in such a system are those which are reported to the police, and which are then included in the reports from law enforcement to the State. Crimes that go unreported (which may be as high as two-thirds for some types of crimes) will not be included in these official crime statistics. Reporting crime to the police is a personal decision. There are many reasons why a citizen may choose not to report a crime to the authorities, from a well-justified fear for his or her life to not feeling the police can provide the necessary assistance to a reluctance to go through the bother of reporting. Crime surveys that assess victimization rates, such as the one in this current report, have been used by Utah, other states, and the federal government in an effort to bridge the gap between actual crime and reported crime. This survey should be considered an additional tool, along with official crime statistics, toward understanding the amount of crime occurring in Utah communities. A representative random sample of just over 2,000 Utahns from across the state responded to our survey via telephone and the internet. In addition to various types of property, person, and sexual crime victimization in the previous year and lifetime, the survey assessed perceptions about crime in the respondents’ community, causes of crime, fear of crime, personal risk, and specific crime issues such as gangs. The survey also attempted to assess the impact of victimization, reporting of crime, and the use of services by victims.

Details: Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Commission on Criminal & Juvenile Justice, 2012. 47p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2013 at: http://www.justice.utah.gov/Documents/Research/Crime/Utah%20Crime%20Survey%202010%20Report.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.justice.utah.gov/Documents/Research/Crime/Utah%20Crime%20Survey%202010%20Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 127339

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Crime Survey (Utah)
Criminal Victimization
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: van Dijk, Jan

Title: Final Report on the Study on Crime Victimisation

Summary: Sample surveys of the general public about their experience of common crime – so-called victimisation surveys - are now well established. In covering crimes that are both reported and not reported to the police, victimisation surveys provide a more complete measure of people’s ordinary experience of crime than administrative statistics. Victimisation surveys have been carried in varies countries across the world, but having been done in different ways, they are as problematic for comparative purposes as statistics of police recorded crime. The International Crime Victimisation Survey (ICVS) has adopted a standardised approach in surveys carried out in a large number of countries over the last two decades. The fifth round of this comparative survey, conducted in 2004/2005, was co-funded by the European Commission. Nonetheless, the need stands for an up-to-date survey tailored to the legal and social realities of the EU and its distinct policy interests. Such a survey was proposed under the European Commission’s Action Plan on the Hague Programme (2004-2009), updated in the Stockholm Action Plan ( 2010-2014), in which the European Commission agrees to develop a comparative victimisation survey to provide data on crime as a supplement to statistics of police recorded crime. Execution of the task has been put in the hands of Eurostat. Proposals for the planned survey were submitted for discussion in the DG JLS Expert Group on the Policy Needs of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics, the Eurostat Working Group on Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics and the Task Force on Victimisation Surveys. HEUNI was contracted to assist in the design a draft questionnaire. In 2009, the Universities of Tilburg (the Netherlands) and Lausanne (Switzerland) were contracted by Eurostat to: (a) make an inventory of victimisation surveys that have been conducted in Europe; (b) evaluate pilot tests in 17 member states of the draft questionnaire for an EUwide survey; and (c) in the light of (b) and other professional experience, to review the methodological options for a survey in all member states to take place in 2013. The planned survey is now named the EU Security Survey (or the EU Safety Survey (SASU) or EU-SASU)). Alongside this, work was in hand in the United Nations on a Manual on Victimisation Surveys. This recommends the regular conduct of victimisation surveys as a tool for the planning, monitoring and evaluation of national and local crime prevention and control policies (United Nations, 2010). Within the context of the European Union, a standardised victimisation survey would allow member states with widely divergent criminal laws and criminal justice practices to compare their experiences. This would be in relation to comparative levels of selected crimes (including different forms of violent crime), as well as fear of crime and aspects of policing. In addition, such an EU survey would provide benchmark data on the performance of the police and other agencies vis à vis victims of crime as regulated in the Framework Decision of 2002 (and the future Directive on Crime Victims Rights). If repeated over time, the EU survey could provide invaluable information on trends in crime in the member states.

Details: Tilburg, The Netherlands: INTERVICT - Tilburg University, 2010. 130p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 23, 2013 at: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=113047

Year: 2010

Country: Europe

URL: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=113047

Shelf Number: 127360

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys (Europe)
Victims of Crime

Author: Estonian Ministry of Justice

Title: Crime Victim Survey 2009

Summary: In the end of 2008 and during the fi rst six months of 2009, the Estonian Statistical Offi ce carried out a population survey, the aim of which was to gather data on victimization, feeling of security and violence in couples2. Th e questions mainly concerned incidents that had occurred with the last 12 months. Th e survey was conditionally divided into two separate parts: the fi rst part dealt with victimization and feeling of security, and the second part focussed on violence in couples. Henceforth, these surveys are separately discussed in this document, and the terms “victim survey” and “violence in couples survey” are respectively used. Only the victim survey results are observed in this publication. 1. The Crime Victim Survey was carried out in Estonia for the fifth time. The Estonian Statistical Office carried out the population survey in the end of 2008 and during the first six months of 2009. More than 4,000 people were interviewed. The population consisted of people aged 15-74. 2. The number of both crimes and crime victims has decreased. 26% of people were victimized by some criminal offence in 2008; in 1999, the percentage of victims was 33%. 42 criminal offences were committed per 100 persons interviewed; in 1999 it was 72 criminal offences. In international comparison the percentage of people victimized in the past year exceeds the average indicator for other European countries and is similar to Denmark and Switzerland. 3. The number of all crimes against property has decreased. Most frequent criminal offences are vehicle thefts: theft from a car and car vandalism. There are considerably more incidents when something is stolen from a car in Estonia compared to other countries. In Estonia, people living in the Virumaa region are most frequently exposed to diff erent types of thefts and robberies. 4. Compared to the previous survey, the number of assault victims has increased. Within 12 months, 2.4% of people were victimized by assault and 2.1% by threat. With these indicators, Estonia is among the European average countries. There are slightly more women than men among the victims of violence: women are exposed to violence more frequently at home, men outside home. For the first time, Estonians were exposed to violence more frequently than people from other nationalities. 5. In most cases the victims of violence do not turn to the police or the doctor. A victim or some other person at the victim’s request informed the police of 17% of violence incidents. Health care professionals were approached by 30% of victims, including 40% of women and 15% of men. 6. Nearly every twentieth person is exposed to sexual harassment in the past year. In 2008, 2% of the population was exposed to physical harassment and 3.6% to non-physical harassment. Young non-Estonian women are at the highest risk of becoming the harassment victims. Based on the nationality, the indicators level off starting from 30 years of age. 7. The percentage of people exposed to consumer frauds has significantly decreased. In 2008, 18% of the population were victimized by frauds caused by the quality or quantity of goods or services; according to previous surveys, the highest number of people exposed to frauds occurred in 2,000 – 39%. People are most frequently exposed to frauds shopping for goods in stores and other points of sale; the number of victims is smaller, for example, in case of e-commerce and construction and repair works. In international comparison, Estonia is one of the weakest countries in terms of customer security. 8. The exposure of the population to asking a bribe has considerably decreased. Only 0.5% of the people (17 respondents) noted that a border guard, a police officer or some other official had asked them to give a bribe. According to the survey, 5% of the population is willing to offer a bribe to some official. Younger people and non-Estonians are more inclined to pay a bribe. 9. Less criminal offences are reported to the police. 61% of crime victims did not report to the police what had happened. Compared to the previous survey, the reporting decreased with respect to thefts that had been committed from cars and living quarters. Estonian people turn to the police less frequently compared to other countries, for example, in Austria 70% of incidents are reported. In Estonia, people living in the Virumaa region report the crimes less compared to others. In international comparison, the Estonian people’s faith that the police will do something to solve crimes is also smaller. 10. Satisfaction with police actions in solving incidents of violence has considerably increased. The otherwise low satisfaction of people with the police has also increased, for example, with respect to incidents of personal property theft, car theft and car vandalism. Main cause to dissatisfaction is the inability of the police to find stolen or robbed items. 11. Most people think that the police can maintain public order sufficiently or very well. In 2009, this was the opinion held by 63% of the population, at the same time this indicator remained below the international average and is considerably lower, for example, than the Finnish outcome where 89% of the population assessed the police actions to be good. People’s assessments concerning the professional standards of police have grown year by year: while in 2003, 17% of the population considered the professional standards to be fairly good, 69% did so in 2009. 12. Attitudes towards punishment continue to be stable. 57% of the population would impose community service and 23% of the population would impose imprisonment on a 21-year old man who has stolen a TV and has been convicted for burglary for the second time. 13. There were more people in favour of imprisonment among city dwellers and non-Estonians. More strict punishment is requested also by those who themselves have been victimized by some crime, who feel unsafe in their neighbourhood and who are not satisfied with police actions. 14. People’s fear of crime is decreasing. 72% of Estonian people feel completely or quite safe walking alone on the street in their neighbourhood after dark. Compared to 2,000 when the Estonian people’s fear of crime was the highest in comparison with other countries, Estonia is now among the average countries. The people living in Kohtla-Järve feel the least safe. 15. Increasingly more security measures are used for the protection of domestic property. In 2009, 30% of households did not use any security measures, while in 1995 the number of such households was twice as big - 59%. The use of safety locks and the construction of fences for the protection of property have increased the most. However, less window and door bars are used than before. 16. The percentage of people who have been exposed to drug problems has decreased. When in 2004, 10% of the population was frequently exposed to drug problems, 6% were exposed to it in 2009. At the same time, the percentage of population that has been exposed to offering drugs and whose acquaintances use drugs has remained almost the same. City dwellers and non-Estonians are exposed to drug problems considerably more frequently. Every fifth Estonian person knows somebody or is acquainted with somebody who uses or has used drugs. 17. Young people are exposed more to violence and less to thefts. Compared to the previous survey, the percentage of 16 to 26-year-old young people who have been exposed to violence increased from 8% to 9.4%. 5% were exposed to physical sexual harassment. At the same time, twice as less young people were exposed to personal thefts in 2008 than in 2003 (10.7% in 2003; 5% in 2008).

Details: Tallinn: Ministry of Justice, 2010. 114p.

Source: Internet Resource: Criminal Policy Surveys 14: Accessed January 25, 2013 at: http://www.just.ee/orb.aw/class=file/action=preview/id=53485/CRIME_VICTIM_SURVEY_2009.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Estonia

URL: http://www.just.ee/orb.aw/class=file/action=preview/id=53485/CRIME_VICTIM_SURVEY_2009.pdf

Shelf Number: 127408

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys (Estonia)
Victims of Crime

Author: Bateson, Regina

Title: The Political Consequences of Crime Victimization in Latin America

Summary: In the last two decades, violent crime rates in Latin America have increased exponentially. Though this is one of the most significant recent developments in the region, the political consequences of Latin America’s violent crime epidemic are largely unknown. Many scholars and commentators imply that the crime wave bodes ill for democracy in the region, suggesting that high levels of violent crime cause disillusionment with government, reduce mass political participation, and increase popular support for authoritarianism and mano dura. This paper evaluates the micro-foundations of that conventional wisdom. Analysis of data from the Latinobarómetro and LAPOP surveys consistently and convincingly shows that recent crime victimization is associated with increased political participation. Rather than becoming disenchanted or disempowered, Latin American crime victims are actually more politically active than comparable citizens who have not been victimized. Crime victimization has a more ambiguous relationship to political opinions. Victims are less satisfied with law enforcement than their non-victimized peers, and they are more likely to be concerned about crime as a public policy issue. Some regressions suggest that victims may have more pro-authoritarian views than their peers and may be more likely to support mano dura and vigilantism, but this result is not consistent across analysis of multiple surveys so the true relationship is difficult to ascertain.

Details: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association 67th Annual National Conference, The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL, Apr 02, 2009. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 29, 2013 at: http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/files/kyHPZ6/Bateson_CPW_April_14.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Central America

URL: http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/files/kyHPZ6/Bateson_CPW_April_14.pdf

Shelf Number: 127424

Keywords:
Crime Statistics (Latin America)
Crime Victimization
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Regehr, Cheryl

Title: Interventions to Reduce Distress in Adult Victims of Sexual Violence and Rape: A Systematic Review

Summary: Beginning with the articulation of Rape Trauma Syndrome (Burgess 1974), the traumatic aftermath of sexual assault on victims has become a focus of social and legal policy, scholarly inquiry, and mental health interventions. The wide variety of psychosocial treatment modalities for victims of sexual violence reported in the literature and used in practice are predominantly based on psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural or feminist-informed theoretical frameworks. Some modalities have been specifically designed for victims of sexual violence while others have been adapted from use with other traumatized populations. Although there is evidence of effective treatments for addressing traumatic stress in victims of many types of trauma, modalities specific to victims of sexual assault have not been systematically tested. Evidence suggests that trauma associated with rape or sexual assault differs from trauma stemming from other experiences, in part due to the strong element of self-blame, the individualized nature of this type of trauma, social support and social acceptance factors, and the higher incidence of concurrent depression. Therefore, it is critical to examine the effectiveness of interventions specific to victims of sexual violence and rape. The objective of this review was to examine the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions in reducing symptoms of distress and trauma for victims of sexual assault and rape.

Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2013. 133p.

Source: Internet Resoruce: Campbell Systematic Reviews
2013:3 Accessed March 12, 2013 at: http://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/project/97/

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/project/97/

Shelf Number: 127924

Keywords:
Psychological Interventions
Victims of Crime
Victims of Rape
Victims of Sexual Violence

Author: Sandholtz, Nathan

Title: Hate Crime Victimization, 2003-2011

Summary: Presents annual counts and rates of hate crime victimization that occurred from 2003 through 2011, using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The report examines changes over time in hate crime victimizations, including the type of bias that motivated the hate crime, the type of crime, whether the incident was reported to police, and characteristics of the incident, offender, and victim. In addition, the report compares characteristics of hate crime and nonhate crime victimization. NCVS estimates are supplemented by data from official police reports of hate crime from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Hate Crime Statistics Program. Highlights: From 2007 to 2011, an estimated annual average of 259,700 nonfatal violent and property hate crime victimizations occurred against persons age 12 or older residing in U.S. households. Across the periods from 2003-06 and 2007-11, there was no change in the annual average number of total, violent, or property hate crime victimizations. The percentage of hate crimes motivated by religious bias more than doubled between 2003-06 and 2007-11 (from 10% to 21%), while the percentage motivated by racial bias dropped slightly (from 63% to 54%). Violent hate crime accounted for a higher percentage of all nonfatal violent crime in 2007-11 (4%), compared to 2003-06 (3%). Between 2003-06 and 2007-11, the percentage of hate crime victimizations reported to police declined from 46% to 35%.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2013 at: http://bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4614

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4614

Shelf Number: 128081

Keywords:
Bias Crimes
Crime Statistics
Hate Crimes (U.S.)
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Koeppel, Maria

Title: The Burden of Victimization

Summary: A staggering 9 million property crimes and nearly 1.25 million violent crimes occurred nationwide during 2010.1 These crimes led to an estimated 18.7 million people becoming victims of violent or property crime.2 As the second largest state, a sizable proportion of these crimes occurred in Texas, which recorded nearly 1 million property index crimes and over 113,000 violent index crimes in 2010.3 While violent and property crime and subsequent victimization rates have been declining during the past decade, the need for and importance of victim services should not be underestimated. Criminal victimization is a heavy burden to bear, beginning with the immediate cost of crime and extending to consequences relating to health, education, employment, and overall quality of life. Additionally, the consequences of victimization are often intertwined. Victims rarely experience one adverse effect, like physical injury, without also developing issues in other areas, such as missed employment due to the injury or anxiety resulting from the experience.

Details: Huntsville, TX: Sam Houston State University, Criminal Justice Center, Crime Victims Institute, 2012. 4p.

Source: Internet Resource: Legislative Brief: Accessed April 5, 2013 at: http://dev.cjcenter.org/_files/cvi/Burden%20of%20Vic.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://dev.cjcenter.org/_files/cvi/Burden%20of%20Vic.pdf

Shelf Number: 128282

Keywords:
Costs of Crime
Costs of Criminal Justice
Victimization (Texas)
Victims of Crime

Author: Kunst, Maarten

Title: The Burden of Interpersonal Violence: Examining the psychosocial aftermath of victimisation

Summary: The burden of violent victimisation has received much attention in scientific literature. Most previous studies seem to have focussed on adverse psychological or medical consequences of victimisation (e.g., Denkers, 1996). A few others have attempted to uncover its negative socioeconomic impact (e.g., Dolan, Loomes, Peasgood, & Tsuchiya, 2005). And finally, several studies have considered the positive side of violence (e.g., Cobb, Tedeschi, Calhoun, & Cann, 2006). Despite the abundance of available studies on the aftermath of violent victimisation, many issues still remain to be uncovered. Relying on a sample of victims of violence who had claimed compensation from the Dutch Victim Compensation Fund (DVCF), the purpose of this PhD project was to further unravel the psychosocial aftermath of violent victimisation in this specific subgroup of interpersonal violence. A number of studies have investigated mental health outcomes of violence in victims with a history of application for compensation from the state. These studies primarily focussed on victims of mass casualties, such terrorist bombings (e.g., Verger et al., 2004). However, on the other hand, victims of individual casualties, such as civilian violence, seem to have been neglected in previous research.

Details: Tilburg, German: University of Tilburg, 2010. 224p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 6, 2013 at: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=105988

Year: 2010

Country: Netherlands

URL: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=105988

Shelf Number: 128307

Keywords:
Family Violence
Interpersonal Violence (Netherlands)
Intimate Partner Violence
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Victims of Crime
Victims of Violent Crimes
Violent Crimes

Author: Innes, Helen

Title: Personal, Situational and Incidental Vulnerabilities to ASB Harm: a follow up study.

Summary: This study makes a significant contribution to the evidence base around the impacts of antisocial behaviour (ASB) upon victims and „what works‟ in terms of police responses to such problems. It extends and elaborates some of the findings originally set out in 2010 in the Universities‟ Police Science Institute‟s (UPSI) report „Rethinking the Policing of Antisocial Behaviour‟ that advocated a shift towards a more victim-centred and harm-based approach. This influenced HMIC‟s „Stop the Rot‟ report of that year. In 2012 HMIC inspected all police forces to check their progress in implementing reforms based upon the findings of the 2010 work. The Inspectorate concluded that whilst progress had been made by all forces in improving their responses to ASB, opportunities for further improvement remained. Accordingly, the analysis set out herein seeks to clarify these opportunities and what police can do to better protect repeat and vulnerable victims of ASB Driven by an empirical analysis of a survey of nearly 10,000 ASB victims (the largest dataset of its kind) and HMIC police performance assessments, we focus in particular upon the concept of vulnerability. This recognises that some people and communities are more liable to being negatively impacted by ASB because they lack social, economic and psychological resilience to withstand the negative effects associated with such experiences.  Informed by analysis of the data we identify three main types of vulnerability: 1. Personal vulnerability – results from an individual or group‟s characteristics, identity or status. In effect, there are certain individual characteristics that shape susceptibility to being negatively affected by a victimisation experience. For example, mental or physical health status. 2. Situational vulnerability –where the impact of any ASB is amplified by some aspect of the context in which it occurs. For example, neighbourhoods that are socially or economically stressed may be more harmed by the occurrence of ASB. Similarly, areas with low levels of social capital or high crime rates may be negatively impacted by events that, if they occurred in different circumstances, would be less influential. 3. Incidental vulnerability – our analysis demonstrates that there are certain forms of antisocial incident that are likely to induce harmful effects for victims. Most notably, this includes repeated occurrences, but also incidents perceived by victims to be personally targeted.  When different combinations of vulnerability are profiled, we find differences in their prevalence and social distribution. For example, repeat and vulnerable victims are disproportionately drawn from poor socio-economic circumstances, whereas repeat, but not vulnerable, victims are not.  Police forces differ from each other in the profile of their callers on characteristics of vulnerability and repeat victimisation. Health vulnerability, for example, is present in approximately 25 percent of callers in Dyfed Powys compared to 8 percent in City of London. A better knowledge of local victim profiles is therefore central to understanding the underlying nature of the ASB problem. Our analysis of victim satisfaction and its links with police performance data enable us to highlight a number of areas where there are gains to be made in meeting the needs of ASB victims.  The most challenging cases are where victims are both repeat and vulnerable. The complex and ever-changing circumstances associated with ASB and the victim means that there is no substitute for inter-personal communication at the point of report. Technological „solutions‟ can identify some, but not all, vulnerable victims.  All victims want to feel listened to, taken seriously, and to know what police action was taken as a result of their call. However, because some victims are more vulnerable and at risk than others, they do not all share the same „starting place‟. Whilst the needs of repeat or vulnerable victims may be generally well met by police, the repeat and vulnerable victim is most likely to „fall through the net‟. The percentage of victims who viewed their call to police as having made „no difference‟ was greater for the most acute category of repeat and vulnerable victim at 45 percent compared to 35 percent for victims who were neither repeat nor vulnerable.  The identification of vulnerability and risk should prompt police to consider ‘doing more’ with the victim or ‘doing different’. This does not have to be resource-intensive; it could be offering greater reassurance, taking more time to communicate or communicating more frequently.  Better police performance is unlikely to ‘drive down’ the overall volume of calls on ASB, but it can improve victim satisfaction and public reporting of this type of crime. The available evidence suggests that reductions in the number of ASB reports may not be a reliable indicator of performance improvements in this domain. In fact, somewhat counter-intuitively, better performing forces were more likely to see the public report issues to them and forces with a high public need tended to have more effective police systems in place. Our analysis suggests that area level deprivation drives call volume; in areas of high deprivation 60 percent could be classified as repeat callers of three times or more, compared with 38% in low deprivation areas. The key operational implications of our analysis are summarised in an ASB Call Template or ‘ACT’ model. This model proposes four key stages in the process from receiving an ASB call through to completed action feedback to the victim. These stages are: 1. The primary ‘inter-personal’ stage: the use of probing questions at every point of report to establish and record who, where, and why the victim is reporting. 2. The secondary ‘I.T’ stage: linking this victim information with any previous contacts, with area data or previous intelligence to add depth and context to the victim report. 3. Action Planning: identification of risk and the deployment of resources. This necessitates a degree of „tailoring‟ responses according to the needs of the victim. 4. Communicate Action: timely and appropriate feedback to the victim about what the police response was to their call with due consideration of the needs of the victim.

Details: Cardiff, UK: Universities' Police Science Institute, Cardiff University, 2013. 99p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2013 at: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/personal-situational-and-incidental-vulnerabilities-to-anti-social-behaviour-harm-a-follow-up-study.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/personal-situational-and-incidental-vulnerabilities-to-anti-social-behaviour-harm-a-follow-up-study.pdf

Shelf Number: 128323

Keywords:
Antisocial Behavior (U.K.)
Disorderly Conduct
Incivilities
Nuisance Behaviors and Disorder
Police Response
Victims of Crime

Author: Alemika, Etannibi E.O.

Title: Criminal Victimization, Policing and Governance in Nigeria

Summary: Crime victimization survey provides valuable information for understanding the extent, trend and pattern of crime victimization in a community or nation. It also provides data on the nature and perception of crime and disorder problems. Crime victimization surveys provide the government with information on citizens’ perception of the quality and problems of security, policing and governance. The principal aim of this survey is to generate reliable data on crime victimization, fear of crime, feeling of safety, policing and governance in Nigeria that can be used to develop and implement policies and strategies that will promote effective security and criminal justice administration in the country. Crime survey using a national representative sample was pioneered in Nigeria by CLEEN Foundation. This survey in 2011 is a continuation of previous rounds of crime victim survey for 2005, 2006, 2007- 2009; 2010 and published (Alemika, Igbo and Nnnorom 2006; Alemika and Chukwuma 2007; Alemika and Chukwuma 2011).

Details: Lagos, Nigeria: CLEEN Foundation, 2013. 89p.

Source: Internet Resource: Monograph series No. 18: Accessed April 18, 2013 at: http://www.cleen.org/Criminal%20Victimization.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Nigeria

URL: http://www.cleen.org/Criminal%20Victimization.pdf

Shelf Number: 128404

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Policing
Victimization Surveys (Nigeria)
Victims of Crime

Author: Roman, Jonathan Kilbourn

Title: What is the Price of Crime? New Estimates of the Cost of Criminal Victimization

Summary: Robust estimates of the price of crime, measured as the costs of crime to victims, inform a wide range of policy analysis. The most commonly cited studies are constrained by limited data and rely on indirect methods to estimate prices. In these studies, health statistics are used to estimate direct losses from crime, jury award data are used to estimate indirect damages from crime, and self-reported crime data are used to weight injury prevalence within broad crime categories. While the relationship between injury and damages can be observed at the individual level in civil court records, individual level data have not previously been available that link crimes and injury. Since both individual and aggregate data are combined in these studies, prior research has not corrected sampling bias, and the estimates of victimization costs have been reported only as point estimates without confidence intervals. Estimates have been developed for only a few broad categories of crime and these estimates have not been robust to study design. This study analyzes individual-level data from two sources: jury award and injury data from the RAND Institute of Civil Justice and crime and injury data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System. Propensity score weights are developed to account for heterogeneity in jury awards. Data from the jury awards are interpolated onto the NIBRS data based on the combination of all attributes observable in both data sets. From the combined data, estimates are developed of the price of crime to victims for thirty-one crime categories. Until data become available linking information about criminal incidents to jury award data, the strategy used here is likely to yield the most robust estimates of the costs to crime victims that can be generated from the jury compensation method.

Details: College Park, MD: University of Maryland, College Park, 2009. 206p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 15, 2013 at:

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 128740

Keywords:
Costs of Crime
Economics of Crime
Victimization (U.S.)
Victims of Crime

Author: Gómez Isa, Felipe

Title: Justice, Truth and Reparation in the Colombian Peace Process

Summary: A key challenge facing the Colombian peace process is how to secure peace while simultaneously guaranteeing victims’ rights. In July 2012 the Colombian Congress adopted the Legal Framework for Peace, a package of transitional justice mechanisms designed to facilitate negotiations, prevent impunity for serious war-related crimes and provide guarantees to victims. Under the Framework the principles of prioritisation and selection are to be applied to the bringing of criminal proceedings, i.e. for deciding in which situations and according to which criteria some offences may be prioritised over others and even whether criminal investigations might focus solely on the main perpetrators of war-related crimes. This is the minimum threshold that should be demanded of both the Colombian state (especially the armed forces) and the FARC Secretariat. The Framework also makes provision for a truth commission to investigate the extremely serious crimes committed in Colombia and leaves in the state’s hands a number of important instruments that allow a flexible approach to be taken regarding the punishment of crimes committed by armed actors. The granting of such benefits will be subject to those being demobilised making significant contributions to achieving lasting peace and securing truth and reparation for victims.

Details: Oslo: The Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF), 2013. 9p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 20, 2013 at: http://www.peacebuilding.no/var/ezflow_site/storage/original/application/5e7c839d7cf77846086b6065c72d13c5.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Colombia

URL: http://www.peacebuilding.no/var/ezflow_site/storage/original/application/5e7c839d7cf77846086b6065c72d13c5.pdf

Shelf Number: 128753

Keywords:
Reparation
Transitional Justice (Colombia)
Victims of Crime

Author: Davis, Robert C.

Title: No More Rights Without Remedies: An Impact Evaluation of the National Crime Victim Law Institute's Victims' Rights Clinics

Summary: The National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) victims' rights clinics are an effort to remedy what many perceived as a serious deficit in victims' rights legislation. Although all states have laws protecting victims' rights and many have constitutional amendments establishing rights for victims, the rights of many victims still are not observed. In large measure, this may be because there are no remedies enforceable when victims are denied their rights. The NCVLI clinics were intended to promote awareness, education, and enforcement of crime victims' rights in the criminal justice system. The victims' rights clinics sought to protect and enforce rights for victims in the court process through filing motions in criminal cases in which victims' rights were denied and by seeking appellate decisions that interpreted and reinforced victims' rights statutes. By providing direct representation to individual victims in criminal court, NCVLI hoped not only to increase the observance of rights in those particular cases but also to increase awareness of victims' rights by prosecutors, judges, and police officers in general.

Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2013. 124p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 22, 2013 at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1179.html

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1179.html

Shelf Number: 128780

Keywords:
Victims of Crime
Victims' Rights (U.S.)

Author: Andrevski, Hannah

Title: Barriers to Trafficked Persons' Involvement in Criminal Justice Proceedings: An Indonesian case study

Summary: Prosecuting transnational crimes such as people trafficking is a complex and difficult task. It is often the case that the people who have been trafficked are the primary witnesses and provide the bulk of the evidence against a trafficker. Yet for a range of reasons, trafficked persons may be reluctant or unable to participate in criminal investigations and prosecutions. Using data from cases in the International Organization for Migration’s Indonesian Counter-Trafficking Module database, the factors that inhibit a trafficked person’s willingness and ability to be involved in criminal proceedings are assessed and considered within a broader review of current research. An understanding of these factors may assist policymakers and practitioners—both in Australia and throughout the region—to better support trafficked people and increase their willingness and ability to participate in criminal proceedings.

Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2013. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 451: Accessed May 28, 2013 at: http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi451.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Australia

URL: http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi451.pdf

Shelf Number: 128835

Keywords:
Human Trafficking (Australia)
Sexual Exploitation
Victims of Crime

Author: Lyneham, Samantha

Title: Exploitation of Indonesian Trafficked Men, Women and Children and Implications for Support

Summary: Protecting and providing support to victims is a central component of the international and Australian response to combat trafficking in persons. The complex and diverse nature of people trafficking means that victims may experience a range of exploitative conditions across a variety of commercial and domestic settings. In this paper, the support needs of trafficking victims are considered through analysis of their experiences of exploitation and abuse, as contained in the International Organization for Migration’s Indonesia Counter-Trafficking Module database. The complexity and diversity of trafficking and exploitative experiences is reflected in the supports and assistance needs of trafficked persons that appear equally diverse and complex. Clearly, support services must tailor their responses to individual circumstances and needs, and respond using a multifaceted, victim-centred approach. While analysing the experiences of trafficked persons can assist in developing appropriate support services, evaluative research is the next step in ensuring the effectiveness of the supports provided.

Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2013. 7p.

Source: Internet Resource: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No. 450: Accessed May 28, 2013 at: http://aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/441-460/tandi450.html

Year: 2013

Country: Australia

URL: http://aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/441-460/tandi450.html

Shelf Number: 128836

Keywords:
Human Trafficking (Australia)
Sexual Exploitation
Victims of Crime

Author: Pettitt, Bridget

Title: At Risk, Yet Dismissed: The criminal victimisation of people with mental health problems

Summary: Background Public perception is that people with mental health problems are offenders, and historically, policy, research and clinical practice has focused on the risk they pose to others. However, in recent years a body of work has explored the victimisation of people with mental health problems and the impact it has on them. This study was designed to understand experiences of victimisation and engagement with the criminal justice system among people with mental health problems. The main questions the study sought to answer were: - What proportion of people with severe mental illness had been a victim of violent or non-violent crime in the past year, and how does that compare to the general population? - What are the barriers and facilitators for people with mental health problems, who have been victims of crime, in reporting crime, progressing through the criminal justice process, and accessing support? The study was conducted in two main parts, a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews and focus groups. The survey used a modified version of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) with a random sample of 361 people with severe mental illness (SMI) using community mental health services in London. The findings from this sample were compared with those from the general population who took part in the CSEW survey over the same time period in London. We also gained information from clinical notes, and professionals involved in the participants' care.(See appendix 1 for details). For the qualitative research we interviewed 81 individuals who had mental health problems and had been victims of crime in the last three years. The profile of these interviewees was slightly different, with a broader range of mental health problems, and a third were not using community mental health services. The interviews explored their experience of crime, its impact and their engagement with the criminal justice system. We also conducted focus groups and individual interviews with 30 relevant professionals from a range of different backgrounds including police officers and mental health care coordinators. Experience of crime The findings of the survey showed that people with mental health problems experienced high rates of crime, and were considerably more likely to be victims of crime than the general population. - Forty-five percent of people with severe mental illness (SMI) were victims of crime in the past year. - One in five people had experienced a violent assault; a third were victims of personal crime and a quarter were victims of a household crime. - People with SMI were five times more likely to be a victim of assault, and three times more likely to be a victim of household crime, than people in the general population, after taking into account sociodemographic differences. Women were 10 times more likely to be assaulted. - They reported very high rates of sexual and domestic violence, with 40% of women reporting being a victim of rape or attempted rape in adulthood, and 10% being a victim of sexual assault in the past year. - Victims with SMI were up to four times more likely to be victimised by their relatives or acquaintances than those from the general population. - Nine percent of the victims described crimes in psychiatric inpatient settings. Impact of crime It took two months to recover from [being assaulted] because I was having nightmares and stuff and I was finding it hard to sleep as well. Int21, male, assault] Compared to victims who did not have mental health problems, victims with SMI were more likely to suffer social, psychological and physical adverse effects as a result of the crime, and were more likely to perceive the crime as serious. The impact of domestic or sexual violence was particularly serious with 40% of women and a quarter of men who experienced this having attempted suicide as a result. In the qualitative interviews, participants explained how being a victim of crime affected many aspects of their lives including: their financial and material situation; personal relationships and behaviour; physical health; housing situation; emotional well-being; and mental health. The most common negative effect of crime was on their emotional well-being. Many described their mental health deteriorating as a result, with some individuals going into crisis and being admitted into hospital. Risk factors One of the aims of this study was to find out who, among people with SMI, was most at risk. We found there were three key risk factors: less engagement with services, drug misuse and a history of being violent. Compared to those with good service engagement, people with medium and poor engagement had a five-fold and seven-fold higher risk of victimisation respectively. Drug misuse and violence perpetration were associated with a two to three-fold higher victimisation risk which is similar to those reported in the general population in other published studies. The perceived association between mental health and victimisation In the qualitative interviews, many participants felt that having a mental health problem was a factor in their victimisation. They gave examples of perpetrators picking up on visible signs of vulnerability and distress, and known perpetrators preying on them when they were unwell and less able to protect themselves. Some felt perpetrators targeted them because they understood that people with mental health problems are more easily discredited and commonly disbelieved when they report. A few said they felt perpetrators were motivated by hatred and hostility towards their mental health status. The nine participants victimised in psychiatric inpatient wards described the environment as unsafe and a place where they felt both under threat from staff and other patients as well as less able to access other sources of help. The survey supported this sense of people being targeted for their identity, where 37% felt the incident was motivated by their identity and 25% felt this was specifically because of their mental health status.

Details: London: Victim Support and Mind, 2013. 84p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2013 at: http://www.victimsupport.org.uk/~/media/Files/Publications/ResearchReports/1390_MHJR_final_lores.ashx

Year: 2013

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.victimsupport.org.uk/~/media/Files/Publications/ResearchReports/1390_MHJR_final_lores.ashx

Shelf Number: 131596

Keywords:

Mentally Ill (U.K.)
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Corbacho, Ana

Title: Crime and Erosion of Trust: Evidence for Latin America

Summary: Crime has tangible economic costs. It also has less understood and likely sizable intangible costs. In particular, widespread crime has the potential to weaken trust between citizens and institutions, undermine government reform efforts, and become an obstacle to development. Yet, the impact of crime on trust remains relatively unexplored in the literature. This paper analyzes the potential interrelationship between individual victimization and several measures of trust, including trust in formal public institutions and trust in informal private networks. It is based on a representative sample of individuals in 19 countries in Latin America. The empirical strategy is intended to mitigate overt biases and assess sensitivity to hidden biases. The results show that victimization has a substantial negative effect on trust in the local police but no robust effect on informal institutions. Governments may henceforth need to redouble efforts to reduce victimization and the resulting erosion of trust in public institutions.

Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2012. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource: IDB working paper series; 344)Accessed March 12, 2014 at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37071808

Year: 2012

Country: Latin America

URL: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37071808

Shelf Number: 131866

Keywords:
Police Legitimacy
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Trust
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Weatherburn, Don

Title: A Review of Restorative Justice Responses to Offending

Summary: The present review sought to determine on the available evidence (a) whether restorative justice (RJ) is an effective means of reducing re-offending (b) what benefits victims of crime obtain from participation in the RJ process (c) whether the public supports the principles of RJ and (d) how the cost and efficiency of RJ proceedings compare with conventional courts in cost and efficiency (i.e. time taken to finalize cases). The review finds little reliable evidence that RJ reduces re-offending. Victims who participate in RJ are generally satisfied with the experience but it is unclear whether they are more satisfied than victims in similar cases that are dealt with in court. The limited evidence available suggests that the public supports the principles of RJ. It appears to be a less expensive and more efficient way of finalizing criminal cases involving young people but, once again, the evidence on this issue at this stage is rather limited.

Details: Sydney: Australia and New Zealand School of Government, 2013. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: Evidence Base, Issue 1: http://journal.anzsog.edu.au/publications/4/EvidenceBase2013Issue1.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://journal.anzsog.edu.au/publications/4/EvidenceBase2013Issue1.pdf

Shelf Number: 104861

Keywords:
Recidivism
Restorative Justice
Victims of Crime

Author: Surtees, Rebecca

Title: After Trafficking: Experiences and Challenges in the (Re)integration of Trafficked Persons in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

Summary: (Re)integration is a process that involves many steps after the individual's exit from trafficking. Ideally trafficked persons are identified and provided with a range of services to support their social and economic (re)integration. Many trafficked persons interviewed for this study were assisted and supported in these ways. Others were not fully supported through these stages but nonetheless did receive assistance that was valuable toward their recovery and (re)integration. Interviews with trafficked persons yielded many positive examples and experiences, including the important role played by various actors and agencies and (re)integration services in recovery and (re)integration processes. Nonetheless, many trafficked persons in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) did not have access to these "ideal" pathways and their experiences following their emergence from trafficking further exacerbated their ordeals. Many were neither identified nor assisted as victims of trafficking, which meant they did not receive support to aid in their recovery and sustainable (re)integration. Some trafficked persons received some forms of assistance but not the full package they required (and were entitled to) to move on from their trafficking experience and (re)integrate into society. Equally important, some preferred not to be assisted and declined some or all support offered to them. Understanding these diverse and complex post-trafficking trajectories sheds light on a wide range of issues and dynamics at play in the (re)integration processes in the GMS. It also highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of existing (re)integration mechanisms and processes. The study was based on in-depth interviews with 252 trafficked persons about their experiences of (re)integration, including successes and challenges, as well as future plans and aspirations. The trafficked persons interviewed for this study came from all six countries in the GMS and included men, women and children, trafficked for various forms of forced labour, sexual exploitation, begging and/or forced marriage. The study included persons who had been identified and assisted, as well as those who were not identified and/or did not receive assistance. This research study was undertaken in the context of the a region-wide (re)integration initiative under Project Proposal Concept 5 (PPC5) within the 2nd COMMIT Sub-regional Plan of Action (2008-2010), which sought to assess the effectiveness of (re)integration processes and structures in the region. It continued under the 3rd COMMIT Sub-regional Plan of Action (2011-2013) under Area 3, Protection. While the study is intended for anti-trafficking policymakers and practitioners in the GMS, these findings also have relevance for practitioners and policy makers in other countries and regions who are seeking to enhance their anti-trafficking response, in line with the interests and experiences of trafficked persons.

Details: Bangkok: UNIAP/Nexus Institute, 2013. 252p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 19, 2014 at: http://www.nexusinstitute.net/publications/pdfs/After%20trafficking_Experiences%20and%20challenges%20in%20(Re)integration%20in%20the%20GMS.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.nexusinstitute.net/publications/pdfs/After%20trafficking_Experiences%20and%20challenges%20in%20(Re)integration%20in%20the%20GMS.pdf

Shelf Number: 132084

Keywords:
Begging
Forced Labor
Forced Marriage
Human Trafficking
Reintegration
Sex Trafficking
Sexual Exploitation
Victims of Crime

Author: Bluett-Boyd, Nicole

Title: Victim/Survivor-Focused Justice Responses and Reform to Criminal Court Procedure: Implementation, Current Practice and Future Directions

Summary: Many of the key narratives of sexual assault that have informed approaches to law reform highlight the unique disadvantage that victim/survivors face within the criminal justice process. Primarily, these concepts - including definitions of the "real" rape standard and the existence of an "ideal" "victim/survivor" draw on problematic, gendered social constructs and requirements that are rarely met by the reality of sexual assault. When projected onto trial settings, these constructs are often exploited through the practices of legal actors and the flexibility of current legislation. This ensures that the process of a criminal trial, and of providing testimony in particular, is traumatising for victim/survivors of sexual assault. The past three decades have seen reform at numerous levels to address these issues, both within and outside of the criminal justice process. While reforms are variable across jurisdictions, key changes include: - the expansion of counsellor/advocate services; - increased specialisation of police and prosecutions; - legislative amendments to the types of evidence that can be introduced at trial; - alternative provisions for giving evidence at trial; and - changes to the instructions given by the judiciary to the jury, including efforts to contextualise sexual assault. Many of these reforms are based on an understanding of the needs of victim/survivors within the criminal justice process. Until relatively recently these needs have conceptually been aligned with those of the justice system; with a focus on increasing convictions and ensuring punitive measures are taken. Recent reforms, including those identified above, appear to reflect an expanded definition of "justice needs", recognising that the criminal justice process intersects with therapeutic and social forms of redress.

Details: Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2014. 89p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. 27: Accessed April 28, 2014 at: http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport27/rr27.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport27/rr27.pdf

Shelf Number: 132184

Keywords:
Criminal Courts
Rape
Sex Offenders
Sex Offenses
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Truman, Jennifer L.

Title: Nonfatal Domestic Violence, 2003-2012

Summary: The report presents estimates on nonfatal domestic violence from 2003 to 2012. Domestic violence includes victimization committed by current or former intimate partners (spouses, boyfriends or girlfriends), parents, children, siblings, and other relatives. This report focuses on the level and pattern of domestic violence over time, highlighting selected victim and incident characteristics. Incident characteristics include the type of violence, the offender's use of a weapon, victim injury and medical treatment, and whether the incident was reported to police. The report provides estimates of acquaintance and stranger violence for comparison. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects information on nonfatal crimes reported and not reported to police. The NCVS is a self-report survey administered every six months to persons age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Highlights: In 2003-12, domestic violence accounted for 21% of all violent crime. A greater percentage of domestic violence was committed by intimate partners (15%) than immediate family members (4%) or other relatives (2%). Current or former boyfriends or girlfriends committed most domestic violence. Females (76%) experienced more domestic violence victimizations than males (24%).

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2014. 21p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2014 at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ndv0312.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ndv0312.pdf

Shelf Number: 132204

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Domestic Violence
Family Violence
Intimate Partner Violence
Victims of Crime

Author: Fingerle, Michael

Title: Hate Crime Survey Report: Perspectives of victims, at-risk groups and NGOs

Summary: The "When Law and Hate Collide" project is funded by the Daphne III program of the European Union. The program aims at contributing to the protection of children, young people and women against all forms of violence and attains a high level of health protection, well-being and social cohesion. Its main objective is to contribute to the prevention of and the fight against all forms of violence and aims to take preventive measures and provide support and protection for victims and groups at risk. The project consists of a collaboration between three project partners: the Lancashire Law School at the University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, led by the project's Principal Investigator Professor Michael Salter; the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, led by Professor Christian Munthe; and the Institute of Special Needs Education within the Department of Education Sciences at the Goethe University Frankfurt, led by Professor Michael Fingerle. The overall aim of the project is to look at the concept of Hate Crime in a European context and explore possibilities for a Hate Crime law in Europe. The interdisciplinary project team looks therefore at the theme of Hate Crime from a legal (University of Central Lancashire), ethical (University of Gothenburg) and psychological (Goethe University) perspective. The project aim of the empirical part of the project partners at Goethe University is to understand the psychological aspects of Hate Crime regarding the experience of victimization, victim support and possibilities for preventive measures. This focus is motivated by two concepts. Firstly, we look at Hate Crimes as a variety of social discrimination. Hate crimes are identity crimes, their aim is to attack the social identity and to depreciate the value of people who belong to what is called "target groups". Usually, members of such groups are experiencing such acts of social discrimination on a broader scale whether these acts are classified as crimes or not. From this point of view, Hate Crimes happen in a certain social climate which exists in social localities or even in the society as a whole. To have an influence on these factors, it is not only important to document the pain of victims. It is necessary to give the victims and the members of target-groups a voice and to ask them about their experiences and about what they think about the usefulness of a Hate Crime legislation. Also NGOs - which are active as support groups and/or as a political lobby - play a crucial role in what one could call the empowerment of target groups. Secondly - and in a certain way, this point of view is linked to the question of empowerment - did we base the design of our empirical research on the concept of resilience, which has become pivotal in the area of both prevention and therapy over the last decade. Resilience is usually defined as a person's capacity to master adversaries and critical life events (e.g. Sroufe, 2005, Masten, 2010, Fingerle, 2011b). Of course, it would be misguided and even cynical to use the concept of resilience in the sense that members of target groups could develop personal abilities to avoid Hate Crimes. Instead of this misconception we are interested in personal resources which enable a person to cope with the trauma which comes along with being the victim of a Hate Crime. Moreover, according to a concept of resilience which was formulated already at the early stages of this kind of research and which has been emphasized recently under the notion of a (social) ecology of resilience (Ungar, 2011) we are interested in the documentation of the social resources victims and members of target groups need to cope with the aftermath of Hate Crimes and to empower themselves.

Details: Frankfurt am Main: Goethe University, 2013. 50p,

Source: Internet Resource: When Law and Hate Collide: Accessed July 18, 2014 at: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/explore/projects/assets/Hate_Crime_Survey_Report.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Europe

URL: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/explore/projects/assets/Hate_Crime_Survey_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 138725

Keywords:
Bias-Motivated Crime
Discrimination
Hate Crime (Europe)
Victims of Crime

Author: Bhairam, Robin

Title: "Clark Kent drives my bus" - a study of safety and risk in public spaces through the narratives of young people

Summary: This research explores the complexities of young peoples' personal understanding and experiences of violence and safety in public spaces. The research itself is constructed through establishing the interrelationships between the theories, practices and policies of safety and young people. Working through these links has facilitated an original framework for understanding by accessing data using young people's own experiences and views. There is a significant body of published research exploring young people as offenders but a real absence, especially in the UK literature, of young people as potential victims of violent crime. In particular children's own conceptualisations of risk, safety and victimisation are little understood. This research explores young people's thoughts on exactly this. The empirical research draws upon qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews with 21 young people aged from 10 to 18 years old taken from a socioeconomically mixed area of London. The findings show that irrespective of age, the young people have constructed a very real understanding of safety and risk. Children, even at a young age have developed a myriad of personal safety strategies that involve awareness of teenagers, locations and individuals who they perceive as guardians. However, these strategies emerge without meaningful reference to police or government policy and are largely embedded in a world far away from those in reach of official community safety agents. This research suggests that there needs to be a move away from portraying young people as 'folk devils' who sit at the heart of many 'moral panics' towards involving them as significant actors and contributors to social policy making by giving them a voice on the political stage.

Details: Portsmouth, UK: University of Portsmouth, 2012. 204p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed July 22, 2014 at: http://eprints.port.ac.uk/11967/1/Robin_Bhairam_Thesis.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://eprints.port.ac.uk/11967/1/Robin_Bhairam_Thesis.pdf

Shelf Number: 132732

Keywords:
Children and Violence
Children, Crime Against
Moral Panics
Personal Safety
Public Space (U.K.)
Victims of Crime
Violent Crime
Young Adults

Author: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission

Title: Beyond Doubt: The experiences of people with disabilities reporting crime

Summary: This research sought to examine whether police services in Victoria are delivered on an equal basis for people with disabilities who are victims of crime, compared to those without disability. Our study aimed to: - explore what factors have an impact - both positive and negative - on the initial contact between a person with disability and police when a crime is reported - gain a better understanding of the environments in which crimes against people with disabilities occur and how this affects the reporting process - identify what is and isn't working well across the justice system, including during reporting, interviewing, investigation and prosecution. The study focused on people with disabilities who have been victims of crimes against the person in the last two years in Victoria. These crimes include assault, sexual assault, indecent assault causing serious injury and family violence. We used a qualitative approach that included: - twenty-seven in-depth case study interviews with people who had experienced a crime, supported someone to report a crime or who worked in the justice system - twenty-four key informant interviews with those who have specialist knowledge of disability, crime victimisation and reporting - thirteen focus groups, involving 61 people, including with groups of police members, Independent Third Persons, people with disabilities, advocates, Auslan interpreters and people who provide care and support - reviewing submissions from a range of organisations and examining aggregate de-identified data from the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Justice Victims Support Agency (VSA) - a confidential survey that asked respondents about their experience of crime, reporting crime and the police response. We received 63 responses, including 52 from people with disabilities and 11 from people who provide care and support for people with disabilities. In addition, the Commission undertook a legislative and policy review, reviewed relevant research and completed a comparative analysis of other jurisdictions to identify potential policy solutions.

Details: Melbourne: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2014. 159p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/index.php/our-resources-and-publications/reports/item/894-beyond-doubt-the-experiences-of-people-with-disabilities-reporting-crime

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/index.php/our-resources-and-publications/reports/item/894-beyond-doubt-the-experiences-of-people-with-disabilities-reporting-crime

Shelf Number: 132784

Keywords:
Disability
Handicapped Persons
Police Performance
Victims of Crime

Author: Centre for Innovative Justice

Title: Innovative Justice Responses to Sexual Offending: Pathways to better outcomes for victims, offenders and the community

Summary: Sexual assault is complex, pervasive and insidious. The criminal justice system is expected to deliver a sense that justice has been done, yet its current response is inadequate for the large majority of sexual assault victims. Victims of sexual assault have historically been met with denial and disbelief, with society failing to develop an adequate response to a crime it did not fully recognise or understand, and to gendered assumptions it refused to relinquish. In recent decades, hard won improvements - called for by reformers and feminists, and implemented by well-intentioned governments - have seen sexual assault taken more seriously in legal and political arenas alike. Investigation, prosecution and court procedures have improved; specialisation has been encouraged; and victims have been provided with fairer treatment and additional support services. Despite this, however, sexual assault remains the most under-reported form of personal violence, while estimates suggest that the crucial evidentiary requirements and standards of proof demanded by the criminal process mean that the chance of a sexual assault incident resulting in a conviction is as low as, and potentially lower than, one in one hundred. Hard hitting policies of tougher penalties, longer sentences and stringent release practices, meanwhile, do little to address the majority of sexual offending, instead making offenders reluctant to take responsibility or their offending and choosing to contest the allegations. This in turn makes victims reluctant to pursue a prosecution, not wanting to be drawn into the protracted adversarial process. In other words, most victims of sexual assault do not report to the police, do not pursue a prosecution, or if they do, do not secure a conviction. This means that the conventional criminal justice system, with its single option of investigation by police and prosecution through the courts, is failing to provide an adequate response to the majority of victims of sexual assault. While the prosecution and collective denunciation of sexual offending should continue to be pursued, and while ongoing efforts to reform the conventional criminal justice system remain critical, alone they will not markedly change this state of affairs. Additional non-criminal law based avenues, meanwhile, such as the pursuit of statutory compensation or damages through the civil jurisdiction, have significant limitations attached. Clearly, victims need more choice in their pursuit of justice - a suite of options from which they can identify the path or paths that best suit their circumstances; options that provide them with the opportunity to tell their story, to have the harm acknowledged, to participate in the process and to have a say in the outcome. Some of these options may, to date, not have been pursued precisely because the area of sexual assault is so complex, yet may improve the justice system's response if implemented in the right way. Accordingly, this report argues that the justice system should be responsive, inclusive, flexible and fair - that justice processes should be designed in a way that make them accessible and a more realistic prospect to more victims of sexual assault, rather than reserved for a select few who happen to have cases which are able to meet high legal thresholds. This report by the Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) was commissioned by the Attorney-General's Department (Cth) as one of a series of reports identifying important innovations in the justice system. The CIJ's objective in this report is to identify innovative justice processes that have the potential to meet more of the needs of victims of sexual offending; to address public interest concerns; and to prevent reoffending in ways that the conventional justice system has limited capacity to achieve. In doing so, the report suggests that reform does not depend upon a choice between a 'tough' and a 'soft' response but, rather, upon providing an appropriate response - one that is able to meet the disparate needs of victims, while maintaining the integrity of the rights of offenders. As such, the report builds upon existing theoretical work and proposes a best practice, sexual offence restorative justice conferencing model and framework, influenced by national and international innovations, and which is able to be tailored and implemented in all Australian jurisdictions. Restorative justice conferencing involves a facilitated, safe and structured encounter between the victim and the offender, providing an opportunity to repair the harm caused by the offending. The report explains that, to date, restorative justice conferencing practices have tended to exist on the periphery of Australian criminal justice systems and have not been extended to sexual offending in the adult jurisdiction. This is primarily because of legitimate concerns about victims being re-victimised and sexual assault being re-privatised, rather than condemned in the public sphere. While these concerns must be heeded, the CIJ draws from a range of existing examples and concludes that - with comprehensive safeguards and a coordinated, properly resourced system - sexual offence restorative justice conferencing has the potential to meet more of the justice needs of those victims who are being failed by the existing system. In detailing a best practice restorative justice conferencing model for sexual offending, the report addresses such issues as: - The importance of legislation, overarching principles and operational guidelines - The importance of a restorative justice oversight body, incorporating a specialist gender violence team, to oversee and monitor the implementation of the model - The need for skilled and specialist restorative justice conference facilitators - The need for an expert assessment panel to determine the suitability of individual cases for restorative justice conferencing - The importance of basic eligibility criteria, including that all parties consent, and the need for offender and victim age limits - Pathways into and out of restorative justice conferencing, with appropriate police, prosecution and judicial oversight at different stages of the process - The need for protections around admissions made during a conference - The importance of consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culturally and linguistically diverse communities around any innovative justice initiatives - The importance of restorative justice processes being responsive to the needs of victims and offenders with cognitive impairments, disabilities and mental illness - The potential outcome agreements and what to do in the event of breakdown - The importance of funded, accessible community based sexual offender treatment programs to complement a restorative justice approach, and - The balance required between victim autonomy and public policy considerations.

Details: Melbourne: RMIT, Centre for Innovative Justice, 2014. 100p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/qt1g6twlv0q3.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/qt1g6twlv0q3.pdf

Shelf Number: 132790

Keywords:
Rape
Restorative Justice
Sex Crimes
Sex Offenders (Australia)
Sexual Violence
Victims of Crime

Author: Great Britain. Ministry of Justice

Title: An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales

Summary: This report brings together, for the first time, a range of official statistics from across the crime and criminal justice system, providing an overview of sexual offending in England and Wales. Most of the information presented in this report has been previously published in other official statistics bulletins. The report is structured to highlight: the victim experience; the police role in recording and detecting the crimes; how the various criminal justice agencies deal with an offender once identified; and the criminal histories of sex offenders. Providing such an overview presents a number of challenges, not least that the available information comes from different sources that do not necessarily cover the same period, the same people (victims or offenders) or the same offences. For example, the results from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) are based on self completed questions from a representative sample of adults (aged 16 to 59), asking about an individual's experiences of sexual offences in the last 12 months. The police recorded and court information cover all sexual offences, as legislated for in law, committed against any individual irrespective of age or when the crime took place, but exclude the large volume of crimes not reported to the police. Other issues that prevent direct comparisons include: the CSEW focusing on the most recent experience of adults as a victim of sexual offence in the previous 12 months (thus, for example, does not include sexual offences experienced by children or those aged 60 or over); police recorded crime figures being based on offences per victim (i.e. for each victim in a given incident, a crime is recorded) in the year the crime was reported, irrespective of when the offence took place; the criminal justice outcome information (e.g. cautions and convictions) being on an offender basis at the date of the final outcome, again irrespective of when the crime took place.

Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2013. 73p.

Source: Internet Resource: Statistics Bulletin: Accessed August 11, 2014 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/214970/sexual-offending-overview-jan-2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/214970/sexual-offending-overview-jan-2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 132980

Keywords:
Crime Statistics (U.K.)
Rape
Sex Offenders
Sex Offenses
Sexual Assault
Victims of Crime

Author: Simich, Laura

Title: Improving Human Trafficking Victim Identification - Validation and Dissemination of a Screening Tool

Summary: Statement of problem Human trafficking occurs on an enormous scale in the United States, but only a fraction of victims are identified, hindering provision of victim services and prosecution of traffickers. Purpose of the study To provide a solution, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) designed, field-tested and validated a comprehensive screening tool to improve victim identification, victim services and law enforcement efforts on a nation-wide scale. Working with 11 victim service providers, Vera collected original data on more than 230 cases from interviews with potential trafficking victims and case file reviews to determine if the screening tool could reliably identify victims-including adults and minors, and domestic and foreign-born-of sex and labor trafficking. Vera also facilitated participatory evaluation by conducting focus groups and 36 in-depth interviews with service providers, trafficking survivors and law enforcement personnel to identify best practices in implementation of the screening tool. Summary of results The study achieved its validation and evaluation objectives and identified good practices in victim identification. Analysis demonstrated that the screening tool accurately measures several dimensions of human trafficking and is highly reliable in predicting victimization for both sex and labor trafficking across diverse sub-groups, including those divided by age, gender and country of origin. The majority of questions asked in the three domains-migration, work, and working/living conditions-in which indicators were measured, were significant predictors of trafficking after controlling for demographics: - 87% of the questions significantly predicted trafficking victimization in general; - 71% were significant predictors of labor trafficking specifically; and - 81% were significant predictors of sex trafficking. Statistical validation determined that a short version of the tool consisting of 16 questions (approximately half of the questions tested) accurately predicts victimization for both sex and labor trafficking cases. The tool can be further shortened if an interviewer suspects a specific type of trafficking victimization (sex or labor) based on circumstances. Of the 180 individuals in the sample who responded to the screening questions, 53% (N=96) were trafficking victims and 47% (N=84) were non-trafficking victims, i.e. victims of other crimes such as domestic violence, smuggling, prostitution or labor exploitation. Of the trafficking victims, 40% (N=38) were sex trafficking victims and 60% (N=58), labor trafficking victims. Few studies have described characteristics of trafficking victims and factors associated with trafficking among diverse sub-groups. While this study sample is not representative of trafficking victims in general, data analysis revealed, for example, that trafficking victims in this sample were more likely than non-trafficking victims to report that they spoke ―good‖ or ―excellent‖ English and to have more education compared to non-trafficking victims. Females were more likely to have been subjected to some form of sexual exploitation and isolation, while males were more likely to have experienced labor exploitation. Evaluation demonstrated that the efficacy of the screening tool depends upon its appropriate use. Because of the trauma and fear that trafficking victims endure, a sensitive approach is paramount. Building trust, ensuring safety and meeting victims' legal, social and health needs are fundamental considerations in victim identification. More resources, training and collaboration are essential in this process.

Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2014. 454p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 12, 2014 at: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/human-trafficking-identification-tool-technical-report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/human-trafficking-identification-tool-technical-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 132999

Keywords:
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking (U.S.)
Prostitution
Sex Trafficking
Victim Identification
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Baker, David

Title: Feeling Safe Again: recovering from property crime

Summary: Property crime in Australia declined by more than half between 2001 and 2011 - affecting 2.9 per cent of households in 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Although the proportion of victims has been falling steadily, recovery from these incidents remains an important policy issue for those unfortunate Australians who fall prey to this sort of crime. The shock that property crime can cause is underestimated by most people - burglary victims, in particular, may experience a psychological trauma in addition to the loss of the property itself. Until the mid-1980s it had long been accepted that victims of burglary recovered within two or three months following the crime. The consensus was that effects 'wore off' within a few weeks or months. More recent studies, however, have found that recovery can take much longer. The current consensus is that the effects are both 'pervasive and persistent'. Being the victim of a property crime has a bigger effect on a person's reported feelings of safety than demographic differences. Neither sex nor age had any notable influence on average reported safety scores. Interestingly, respondents who have not been victims but who perceive that theft and burglary are common in their local neighbourhood experience a similar level of insecurity to that reported by actual victims. Analysis of safety scores shows that being a victim of a property crime has an effect on people's feeling of safety over the successive two years. The prolonged recovery experienced by victims suggests that more could be done to support recovery and presents an opportunity for expanding support services. This paper has found that, after two years, victims of property crime still do not feel as safe as they did before the break-in or theft. Support services need to reflect this new understanding of recovery duration with, for example, long-term contact with victims. Even if initial services have been provided, a subsequent follow up may potentially improve recovery rates.

Details: Canberra: Australia Institute, 2014. 22p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief No. 66: Accessed September 11, 2014 at: http://www.tai.org.au/content/feeling-safe-again

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.tai.org.au/content/feeling-safe-again

Shelf Number: 133274

Keywords:
Burglary
Fear of Crime
Property Crimes (Australia)
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: University of Leicester

Title: The Leicester Hate Crime Project: Findings and Conclusions

Summary: Over a two-year period from 2012 to 2014 the Leicester Hate Crime Project team conducted groundbreaking research into acts of hate, prejudice and targeted hostility. Funded by the Economic Social and Research Council, this research - Britain's biggest ever study of hate crime victimisation - uncovered new insights into the nature and forms of these acts and their impact upon victims, families and wider communities. The broad aims of the Leicester Hate Crime Project were to examine people's experiences of hate, prejudice and targeted hostility; to understand the physical and emotional harms suffered by individuals and their families; and to identify ways of improving the quality of support available to victims. The study used a deliberately broad and inclusive definition of hate crime in order to capture the experiences of anyone, from any background, who felt that they had been victimised specifically because of their identity or perceived 'difference'. This framework enabled us to expand upon the range of victim groups and experiences typically covered within conventional studies of hate crime. Rather than focusing solely upon the five strands of victim identity (race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status) which are monitored by criminal justice agencies, we wanted to give a voice to victims who have tended to be peripheral or 'invisible' within academic research and official policy but whose victimisation can often bear all of the hallmarks of recognised hate crimes. The city of Leicester has an extraordinarily diverse population. It is home to substantial minority ethnic populations that are both newly arrived and well-established, as well as a wide range of faith, sexual and other minority communities, and it is this rich diversity which made Leicester a highly appropriate site in which to explore experiences of hate, prejudice and targeted hostility. This is a study which clearly has relevance to local policy, practice and activism, but which also has broader implications for other multicultural environments within the UK and further afield. This report presents the findings from the Leicester Hate Crime Project and has been structured to outline victims' experiences and expectations collectively, although where significant variations between and within groups have emerged, these have been identified. In addition to the comprehensive findings and recommendations included in this report, we have produced an Executive Summary, a series of themed briefing papers and a Victims' Manifesto for organisations to pledge support to. The briefing papers include the following: Briefing Paper 1: Disablist Hate Crime Briefing Paper 2: Gendered Hostility Briefing Paper 3: Homophobic Hate Crime Briefing Paper 4: Racist Hate Crime Briefing Paper 5: Religiously Motivated Hate Crime

Details: Leicester, UK: University of Leicester, 2014. 86p., and five briefing papers

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 11, 2014 at: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/criminology/research/current-projects/hate-crime/our-reports-1

Year: 2014

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/criminology/research/current-projects/hate-crime/our-reports-1

Shelf Number: 133279

Keywords:
Bias-Related Crimes
Crime Statistics
Discrimination
Hate Crime (U.K.)
Victims of Crime

Author: Boriboonthana, Yossawan

Title: The effect of restorative justice practices on crime victims : a meta-analysis

Summary: When the restorative justice idea is implemented, its goals and values might not be entirely pursued clue to various factors such as penal goals, relevant social theories, cultural difference, and the values and norms of people in society. These factors might have an influence on its practices as well as its electiveness. Moreover, empirical evidence relating to the effect of restorative justice practices on crime victims is not consistent and casts doubt on its reliability and validity. These limitations snake it uncertain that restorative justice practices can restore victims. Therefore, this research study aims to investigate the actual effect by systematically analysing quantitative and qualitative findings of the existing studies conducted in various countries, compare the effect between different restorative justice practices. i. e. conferencing and mediation and the conventional criminal justice system: and investigate factors relating, to the effect. i. e., case characteristics, scheme characteristics and study characteristics. The meta-analytical method is used to analyse research findings collected from 17 restorative justice schemes implemented in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States and United Kingdom. Results from the meta-analysis confirm that comer acing and mediation have a profound effect on the outcomes of victim satisfaction, perception of fairness, fear of revictimisation, attitude toward offenders, agreement completion, and receiving of an apology. The effect ranges from 2 to 12 times as opposed to the conventional justice system with the highest on the outcome of the receiving of an apology and the lowest on the outcome of the perception of fairness. Two outcomes are examined further and results show that restorative justice practices are likely to increase victim satisfaction and perception of fairness among victims of serious cases more so than among victims of less serious cases. In addition, they are likely to increase victim satisfaction and perception of fairness on victim's attitude toward the way their cases were handled than the case outcomes. These findings confirm the importance of the restorative process and suggest that restorative justice schemes should put more emphasis on serious cases.

Details: Sheffield, UK: Sheffield University, 2006. 262p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed October 27, 2014 at: http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3582/1/427216.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: International

URL: http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3582/1/427216.pdf

Shelf Number: 133816

Keywords:
Restorative Justice
Victims of Crime

Author: Nunziata, Luca

Title: Immigration and Crime: New Empirical Evidence from European Victimization Data

Summary: We exploit the increase in immigration flows into western European countries that took place in the 2000s to assess whether immigration affects crime victimization and the perception of criminality among European natives. Using data from the European Social Survey, the Labour Force Survey and other sources, we provide a set of fixed effects and instrumental variable estimations that deal with the endogenous sorting of immigration by region and with the sampling error in survey based measures of regional immigration shares, whose implications in terms of attenuation bias are investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Our empirical findings show that an increase in immigration does not affect crime victimization, but it is associated with an increase in the fear of crime, the latter being consistently and positively correlated with the natives' unfavourable attitude toward immigrants. Our results reveal a misconception of the link between immigration and crime among European natives.

Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), 2014. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: IZA DP No. 8632: Accessed January 31, 2015 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp8632.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Europe

URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp8632.pdf

Shelf Number: 134512

Keywords:
Fear of Crime
Immigrants and Crime
Immigration (Europe)
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Victoria (Australia). Department of Justice

Title: Victim Impact Statement Reforms in Victoria: Interim Implementation Report

Summary: On 1 January 2011, several important reforms were introduced in Victoria which were designed to improve the process of making a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) for victims of crime and to give them more choice and flexibility in how they were presented. The reforms were based on recommendations set out in a report by the Victims Support Agency (VSA) entitled A Victim's Voice: Victim Impact Statements in Victoria, October 2009 which presented the findings of an evaluation into the effectiveness of VISs in Victoria at that time. The recommendations can be grouped into the following five reform priority areas: - Amendments to the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic) to give victims (or their nominated representative if approved by the court) the right to read their own VIS aloud in court and to attach additional material such as photos, drawings and poems to a written VIS. The legislative amendment also provided for victims to request special arrangements such as remote witness facilities or screens when reading their VIS. - Development of new, clearer and more user-friendly VIS form and information packages. - Review of VIS training for victim support workers and Victoria Police. - Increased take-up of VISs in the Magistrates' Court. - Development of information for judicial officers about the approach to VISs in sentencing and the importance to victims of crime of judicial recognition. Changes in legislation and criminal justice procedures can often only be assessed over time and this report presents the findings of an interim evaluation of the first two years of the reforms. The report draws on data from a broad range of sources, some of which, including an analysis of court files and transcripts of plea hearings, has not previously been collected. The data includes the results of surveys of judicial officers in the Supreme and County Courts of Victoria and the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, as well as Crown Prosecutors, Victoria Police prosecutors and defence counsel. A comprehensive media analysis of VIS reporting over a four year period was undertaken to capture media coverage of VIS before and after the reforms were introduced. The report also draws on information provided in statewide consultations with victim support workers and counsellor advocates and, most importantly, on information provided by victims of crime themselves about their experiences of making a VIS. The report describes the work done to implement each of the five reform areas and then presents the findings in relation to each of those areas. The research indicates that victims who exercise their right to read their VIS aloud often describe it as their opportunity to 'stand up and have a voice' or to 'take back the power' (from the offender). There were also some victims interviewed who were disappointed at having missed out on an opportunity to read their VIS. However, it appears that the majority of victims still either tender their VIS or have the prosecutor read it aloud.

Details: Melbourne: Victorian Government, 2014. 104p.

Source: Internet Resource: accessed February 4, 2015 at: http://assets.justice.vic.gov.au/voc/resources/bab78d32-8a19-44bf-bcce-248afdb4c6e2/victim-impact-statement-reforms-in-victoria-interim-implementation-report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://assets.justice.vic.gov.au/voc/resources/bab78d32-8a19-44bf-bcce-248afdb4c6e2/victim-impact-statement-reforms-in-victoria-interim-implementation-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 134527

Keywords:
Victim Impact Statements (Australia)
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Statistics South Africa

Title: Victims of Crime Survey 2013/14

Summary: The concept of a victimisation survey (also known as the International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS)) is well established in South Africa (SA) and internationally. During the past two decades a number of surveys related to crime, crime victims and users of services provided by the safety and security cluster departments have been conducted by various service providers in South Africa. Crime prevention and safety is a high priority of the current government, and beginning with the VOCS 2011, the VOCS series started to be conducted annually by Stats SA. Data collections for VOCS 2011 and VOCS 2012 were conducted from January to March of that year and referred to incidents of crime experienced during the previous year (i.e. from January to December). Since 2013, Stats SA has changed the data collection methodology to continuous data collection. Data collection of the VOCS-2013/14 started in April 2013 and concluded in March 2014 with reference to the crimes that were experienced during the past twelve months i.e. referred to crime experienced as from April 2012 to February 2014 (details under the Technical notes section of the report). The Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) series is a countrywide household-based survey and has three main objectives: � Provide information about the dynamics of crime from the perspective of households and the victims of crime. � Explore public perceptions of the activities of the police, prosecutors, courts and correctional services in the prevention of crime and victimisation. � Provide complementary data on the level of crime within South Africa (SA) in addition to the statistics published annually by the South African Police Service (SAPS). The VOCS focuses on people�s perceptions and experiences of crime, as well as their views regarding their access to, and effectiveness of the police service and the criminal justice system. Households are also asked about community responses to crime. The survey profiled different aspects that are inherent in the different types of crime, such as the location and timing of the different crimes, the use of weapons and the nature and extent of the violence that takes place. The VOCS 2013/14 is comparable to the previous versions in cases where the questions remained largely unchanged.

Details: Pretoria: Statistics South Africa, 2014. 106p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2015 at: http://beta2.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0341/P03412013.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: South Africa

URL: http://beta2.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0341/P03412013.pdf

Shelf Number: 134539

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys (South Africa)
Victims of Crime

Author: Holder, Robyn

Title: Satisfied? Exploring Victims' Justice Judgements

Summary: Across common law countries, victims of crime and victim advocates have made trenchant and sustained critique of criminal justice systems. Running deep in the debate has been the claim that justice itself is absent. In response, legislators and administrators have initiated various reforms from services to 'rights' charters. In examining victims� experiences with and assessments of reforms, both policy makers and researchers have tended to rely on 'satisfaction' as a measure. While useful for policy purposes, satisfaction may hide more than it reveals about the expectations and interests of people who are victims of crime. Instead, this chapter argues for closer engagement with ideas of justice. It does so through the narratives and survey responses of a group of men and women who became involved in the criminal justice system in a large regional city in Australia following an incident of violence against them. Interviews with people on three occasions identified a conception of justice that was a dynamic integration comprising substantive and procedural elements. Moreover, this conception drew on core values associated with the public role of the criminal justice system, especially those of fairness, equality and respect. Conceiving of victims as clients or consumers of justice 'services' through the lens of satisfaction fails to recognize the normative power of justice as an inclusive ideal as well as its political potency in communal governance.

Details: Canberra: Regulatory Institutions Network, Australian National University, 2014. 33p.

Source: Internet Resource: RegNet Research Paper No. 2014/28: Accessed February 18, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2423140

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2423140

Shelf Number: 134639

Keywords:
Victim Services (Australia)
Victims of Crime

Author: Wlodarczyk, Joanna

Title: National Survey of Child and Youth Victimization in Poland. Research Report.

Summary: 1. Key findings - 71% of teenagers (11 to 17-year-olds) have experienced at least one form of victimization. - More than half of the respondents have experienced peer and sibling victimization, which is the most common category of victimization. The most frequent forms of peer and sibling victimization are peer or sibling assault (41%) and emotional bullying (28%). - More than one in three (34%) teenagers has been abused by known adults. Every fifth young person has experienced psychological abuse by adults (22%), and nearly the same proportion have been physically abused (21%). - 27% of teenagers have fallen victim to conventional crime. The largest proportion of young people have experienced vandalism (21%), while robbery and assault with a weapon have been much less common (8% and 5%, respectively). - 18% of the respondents have witnessed violence at home. - 9% have experienced at least one form of noncontact sexual victimization in most cases these were the less severe forms of sexual abuse: verbal sexual harassment (5,3%) and online grooming (5,1%); 6% of teenagers have fallen victim to at least one form of contact sexual victimization. - 6% of children have experienced neglect. - One in ten teenagers is a poly-victim which means that he or she has experienced 6 or more forms of victimization.

Details: Warsaw: Fundacja Dzieci Niczyje (Nobody's Children Foundation), 2013. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2015 at: http://www.canee.net/files/National_Survey_of_Child_and_Youth_Victimization_in_Poland_2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Poland

URL: http://www.canee.net/files/National_Survey_of_Child_and_Youth_Victimization_in_Poland_2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 134996

Keywords:
Child Abuse and Neglect (Poland)
Child Maltreatment
Children and Violence
Children, Crimes Against
Repeat Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Redress

Title: Redress for Rape. Using international jurisprudence on rape as a form of torture or other ill-treatment

Summary: Rape is an egregious crime with devastating consequences for victims. However, until relatively recently it has not been the subject of serious attention within the international human rights law framework. Rape - at both the domestic and international level - was traditionally largely invisible, or trivialised as a "private matter", an unfortunate incident, the result of a woman's careless conduct, or the inevitable result of war. As such, it was not cast as the responsibility of states, was rarely addressed in international human rights discourse, and was not to be found explicitly within the human rights violations prohibited by the core international conventions adopted during the course of the twentieth century. The past two decades have seen a significant normative change in this area. It is now clearly established at the international level that rape is a crime of the highest order, that states do have the responsibility to prevent and respond to it, whoever commits it, and that survivors of rape are entitled to the same level of protection and response as any other victim of violence. This normative change has started to have an impact in achieving accountability in some high profile individual cases, has increased scrutiny by international human rights bodies on the practices of states, and may have helped to improve responses of authorities in some jurisdictions. However the reality is that rape continues on a massive scale, and the majority of victims of rape around the world - both women and men - face almost insurmountable barriers to justice. This report hopes to provide a useful resource for those seeking to build upon these developments, helping to translate them into change for individuals and communities. It does so by focusing on one strategy which has been fruitfully used both to bring rape within the international legal framework, and to seek justice in individual cases: making the link between rape and torture and other prohibited ill-treatment.

Details: London: Redress, 2013. 124p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2015 at: http://www.redress.org/downloads/publications/FINAL%20Rape%20as%20Torture%20(1).pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://www.redress.org/downloads/publications/FINAL%20Rape%20as%20Torture%20(1).pdf

Shelf Number: 135000

Keywords:
Rape
Rape and War
Sexual Violence
Torture
Victims of Crime

Author: Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Inspection

Title: The care and treatment of victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, incorporating the use of special measures: A follow-up review of inspection recommendations

Summary: Supporting victims and witnesses, and treating them as central to the delivery of criminal justice, has been a key political and moral objective for many years. Unfortunately in the past the rhetoric had continually fallen short of the citizens' reality as they engaged as victims and witnesses with the criminal justice system. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) has rightly continued to focus on this critical issue and produced a series of reports highlighting the deficits in effective service delivery and the need for greater partnership working to secure improvements. Since devolution, the political support for raising the status of victims and witnesses has injected real dynamism into the criminal justice agencies as they moved the subject further up their organisational agendas and together with the Department of Justice (DoJ), began to develop a more effective partnership approach to tackling the deficits. This follow-up review charts the very good progress made by the criminal justice agencies in response to our 2011 report 'The care and treatment of victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland' and 2012 publication 'The use of special measures in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland'. Delivering the achievement of 96% against recommendations is a testament to the efforts of those who are striving to transform the experience of the victims and witnesses who are the mainstay of our criminal justice system. This progress is welcomed and must now become the baseline against which minimum service standards are set. We know that more can be done and I would urge that justice agencies do not become complacent or see this as 'job done', but view it as the start of a journey towards even greater public confidence.

Details: Belfast: Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, 2015. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 3, 2015 at: http://www.cjini.org/CJNI/files/7c/7c2edadb-98a3-4ff8-a5f8-dd78d5bd254d.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cjini.org/CJNI/files/7c/7c2edadb-98a3-4ff8-a5f8-dd78d5bd254d.pdf

Shelf Number: 135153

Keywords:
Victim Services (Northern Ireland)
Victims of Crime
Witnesses

Author: Fuller, Georgina

Title: The serious impact and consequences of physical assault

Summary: In 2012, there were 116,105 recorded victims of physical assault in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory combined (ABS 2013); equating to a victimisation rate of 969 per 100,000 population. This reflects a trend that has been consistent for the last 18 years of police recorded crime statistics, where physical assault has had the highest rate of victimisation of any of the four major types of violent crime (ie homicide, physical assault, sexual assault and robbery; AIC 2014). Estimates provided by the ABS' Crime Victimisation Survey provide further insight into the nature of physical assault in Australia. In 2012-13, there was an estimated 498,000 people over the age of 15 years who were the victim of a physical assault. An estimated 60 percent (n=294,100) of these were male, while individuals aged less than 34 years were more likely to have been assaulted compared with any other age group (ABS 2014). Females were more likely to be victimised in the home by a family member, whereas males were more commonly assaulted by a stranger in place of recreation (ie pubs or nightclubs) or on the street (ABS 2014). Yet despite these statistics, the narrow focus of academia and policy on particular types of violence has resulted in the impact of some forms of physical assault being somewhat overlooked. For example, the negative consequences of experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault have been extensively studied. Briefly, the experience of domestic or intimate partner violence has been associated with the development of a wide range of negative outcomes including mental health issues, feelings of shame or guilt and difficulties relating to men (see Ansara & Hindin 2011; Coker et al. 2002; Roberts et al 1998). Similar negative consequences have been found for sexual abuse, as well as other effects such as difficulties in interpersonal relationships, particularly around sexual functioning (see Cashmore & Shackel 2013; Colman & Widom 2004; Watson & Halford 2010). This type of information is particularly relevant, as it has been used to inform the types of services available to support victims of these types of violence. Yet victims of non-domestic, non-sexual physical assault have not received the same level of attention. In order to address this knowledge gap, the consequences of physical assault victimisation in isolation from other types of violent crime are explored in this paper. The purpose is to discover the impact of physical assault on both the victim and their family. This includes the effect of this type of violence on the victim's physical and psychological health, as well as their social, educational and occupational functioning

Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2015. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 496: Accessed August 13, 2015 at: http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi496.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Australia

URL: http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi496.pdf

Shelf Number: 136386

Keywords:
Assaults
Crime Statistics
Victimization
Victims of Crime
Violence

Author: Minnesota Restitution Working Group

Title: Report to the Legislature 2015

Summary: In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to convene a working group to study how restitution for victims in criminal cases is requested, ordered, and collected in Minnesota. The legislation creating the Restitution Working Group (RWG) arose from informal discussions among stakeholders with concerns about the current restitution process and the lack of information about the extent to which restitution is paid. Under the direction of the DPS Office of Justice Programs, representatives from all parts of the criminal justice system and victim support community engaged in an intensive examination of the restitution statutory framework, the practices of local and state agencies, and the experiences and perspectives of victims and practitioners. In addition, the State Court Administrator's Office (SCAO) conducted a comprehensive analysis of court data, providing much needed clarity on the payment of restitution in Minnesota. The RWG's examination revealed that a patchwork of approaches to restitution exists across the state, with inconsistencies spanning all parts of the process, including steps to request restitution, types of restitution that might be ordered, the process and impact of "reserving" restitution, the establishment of payment plans, and the effort devoted to restitution collection. In addition, the statutory framework was uniformly regarded as cumbersome and confusing at best, and underutilized and disregarded at worst, prompting considerable discussion on ways to clarify and improve it. These inconsistences in ordering, collecting, and enforcing restitution pose challenges for victims, offenders, and criminal justice system professionals. The RWG legislation directed the SCAO to provide the RWG with summary data on restitution. Using a cohort model, the SCAO conducted a comprehensive analysis of court data, examining restitution amounts ordered and paid by case type and offense level, identifying the extent to which payment plans are established, and summarizing restitution data by county and judicial district. The SCAO analysis identifies factors that affect the likelihood of an offender paying restitution. Most importantly, the analysis reveals that for many victims, restitution is not just an empty promise. While this result is encouraging, the SCAO's efforts also point to the usefulness of ongoing data review to uncover areas that require further attention, direct efforts for improvement, and prompt further analysis. The results demonstrate positive payment patterns in some types of cases, but they also reveal the need to find ways to improve payment rates in all cases. This corresponds with the predominant theme emerging from the RWG process of the importance of assessing whether nonpaying offenders truly lack the ability to pay and ensure that all offenders are paying restitution according to their ability. In this nearly year-long process, the RWG crafted more than 40 recommendations aimed at (1) improving the clarity, consistency, and efficiency of the process, (2) ensuring that all victims are well informed and have the opportunity to make appropriate restitution requests, and (3) improving the likelihood of payment by offenders. These recommendations, outlined in Part 4 of the report, call for changes and refinements to all parts of the restitution process, improved information to both victims and offenders, and comprehensive training of criminal justice professionals and partners. Most importantly, these overarching goals emerged as the group set out to identify ways to improve the restitution process: - Make restitution a priority: Restitution should be regarded as a right of victims who have been harmed by a criminal offense, and the justice system should take steps to ensure that offenders pay restitution to the greatest extent possible. - Establish a clear, consistent process: Strive for a measure of consistency and uniformity in restitution process and procedures across the state, with the end result that all victims have the same opportunity to be made whole. - Rely on data: Continue the comprehensive examination of restitution data, and determine ways to make relevant information readily available to stakeholders in the system. - Devote resources: Devote resources to the restitution process to make it more efficient and effective. Invest in technological strategies that can improve restitution processing and collection, track restitution payments, aid in ensuring that victims are a part of this process, and facilitate the evaluation of restitution collection efforts. - System oversight: Establish an ongoing, collaborative group of stakeholders responsible for overseeing restitution on a statewide level, including review of new statutory provisions to ensure they have the desired effect, monitoring the restitution collection data, and promoting adoption of recommendations from the RWG. The end result of the RWG process was a set of statutory and practice recommendations put forward by the RWG to stakeholder constituencies and the legislature for future implementation. To ensure that these recommendations are implemented, the RWG proposes the following: - Form a drafting committee: An ad hoc drafting committee should be convened in 2015 to undertake the task of revising Minnesota Statutes section 611A.04 to incorporate statutory changes recommended by the RWG and improve the overall organization and clarity of the statute. - Distribute findings: Publicize the findings of the RWG, and encourage the adoption of improved restitution practices by those involved in the process. Present the findings from the RWG to all key stakeholder groups. - Request legislative action: The RWG requests that the Minnesota Legislature consider the comprehensive legislative proposal to be submitted in the 2016 session. Further, the RWG requests continued support from the Legislature for all efforts aimed at increasing the efficiency of the process, improving the likelihood of collecting restitution, and focusing efforts on those offenders with the ability to pay restitution.

Details: St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, 2015. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 14, 2015 at: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/Restitution%20Working%20Group/Minnesota%20Restitution%20Working%20Group%20Report%20January%202015.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/Restitution%20Working%20Group/Minnesota%20Restitution%20Working%20Group%20Report%20January%202015.pdf

Shelf Number: 136414

Keywords:
Restitution
Victim Compensation
Victims of Crime

Author: White, Nicole

Title: Violent Crime Against Youth, 1994-2010

Summary: Publication Violent Crime Against Youth, 1994-2010 Janet L. Lauritsen, Ph.D., Nicole White, Ph.D., University of Missouri December 20, 2012 NCJ 240106 This report presents patterns and trends in violent crime against youth ages 12 to 17 from 1994 to 2010. The report explores overall trends in violent crime against youth and examines patterns in serious violent crime and simple assault by the demographic characteristics of the victim, the location and time of the incident, weapon involvement and injury, the victim-offender relationship, and whether police were notified. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects information on nonfatal crimes, reported and not reported to the police, against persons age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Highlights: In 2010, male (14.3 victimizations per 1,000) and female (13.7 per 1,000) youth were equally likely to experience serious violent crime�rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. In comparison, male youth (79.4 per 1,000) were nearly twice as likely as female youth (43.6 per 1,000) to experience serious violent crime in 1994. Among racial and ethnic groups, black youth experienced the highest rates of serious violent crime in 2010. From 2002 to 2010, rates of serious violent crime declined among white (down 26%) and Hispanic (down 65%) youth, but remained the same among black youth. From 1994 to 2010, youth living with an unmarried head of household were generally more likely than youth living with a married head of household to be victims of violent crime. During this period, the decline in serious violent crime was greater for youth in married households (down 86%) than the decline among youth in unmarried households (down 65%).

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 22p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2015 at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vcay9410.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vcay9410.pdf

Shelf Number: 136807

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Porteous, David

Title: The Development of Specialist Support Services for Young People who have Offended and who have also been Victims of Crime, Abuse and/or Violence: Final Report

Summary: Introduction 1. This report was commissioned to inform the development of support services for young people who have offended and who have prior experience of victimisation, including but not limited to mental, physical and sexual abuse. In 2014, the London Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime secured $400,000 from the Ministry of Justice Victim's Fund to invest in these services which will be delivered through two London Resettlement Consortia (LRC) areas, each comprising six Youth Offending Services (YOSs), one in North East London, the other in South London. 2. The research involved an online survey and follow up interviews with a sub-sample of YOS professionals, a review of existing research and knowledge on the matter and interviews with seven key informants with specialist knowledge of the issues addressed. Background 3. Existing evidence from academic and applied policy research shows that children and young people are more likely to be victims than offenders and more likely to be victimised than adults, albeit that these comparisons are not straightforward. Furthermore, children and young people known to have offended are more likely to have been a victim of crime, violence and or abuse than young people with no recorded offending history. Many will have emotional and mental health needs and vulnerabilities linked to such traumatic events and when these occur alongside or in the context of other forms of disadvantage and victimisation, young people are particularly vulnerable and find it more difficult to recover from the experience. 4. Children and young people in the youth justice system also have significantly greater speech, language and learning difficulties relative to the general population, are disproportionately likely to have a diagnosed learning disability and to have had a seriously disrupted education. Neurobiological research suggests that traumatic events in early childhood can have a detrimental impact on a range of cognitive and verbal communication skills and may find it difficult to engage productively with treatments that require a certain level of abstract reasoning such as cognitive behavioural therapy. 5. The prevalence and nature of mental health problems relating to crime, violence and abuse varies by ethnicity and gender. Young black males are over-represented in the criminal justice system and in terms of referrals to mental health services made via the CJS. Young women involved in group-related offending are significantly more likely to be victims of sexual assault. 6. There has been growing awareness and recognition of these issues at a policy level in recent times as indicated by the commissioning of the services to be developed in the LRC areas. At the same time, there is concern at a national level about the real term cuts in funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and the implications for mainstream service provision.

Details: London: Middlesex University, 2015. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gla_migrate_files_destination/Final%20Report_May18th2015_0.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gla_migrate_files_destination/Final%20Report_May18th2015_0.pdf

Shelf Number: 137823

Keywords:
Children and Violence
Children, Crimes Against
Juvenile Offenders
Victim Services
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Perreault, Samuel

Title: Criminal Victimization in Canada, 2014

Summary: Criminal victimization has serious impacts on the well-being of victims, their families and friends, their community and on society as a whole (Justice Canada 2013). Impacts can be both direct and indirect and can include financial, physical, psychological as well as emotional consequences. Overall, crime can impact a community's sense of well being, and can result in heightened costs for policing, victim services and additional prevention measures adopted by businesses and communities. In addition to collecting police-reported data annually through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR), every five years Statistics Canada conducts the General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization which asks Canadians to self-report victimization for eight offence types. Data from the GSS inform us on the victimization experiences of Canadians aged 15 years and older, including incidents not brought to the attention of the police. This information is used by various justice stakeholders to guide victim services, policing, family violence initiatives, and crime prevention programs (Government of Canada 2012). This Juristat article presents the first results from the 2014 GSS on Victimization. The analysis provides insight on the nature and extent of criminal victimization in the 10 provinces. The report also examines the factors associated with the risk of being the victim of a crime, the consequences of victimization, and the reporting of incidents to police. While the rates presented in the first part of this report include data on spousal violence, the sections on the characteristics of incidents, consequences of victimization and reporting to police exclude data on spousal violence. Data on spousal violence were collected using a different methodology and will be analysed in a separate report.

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2015. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource: Juristat, 35(1): Accessed February 25, 2016 at; http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14241-eng.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14241-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 137968

Keywords:
Crime Rates
Crime Statistics
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Baughman, Benjamin

Title: A Study of Rape Investigation Files Involving Female Survivors: A Comparison of Allegations Deemed False and Genuine.

Summary: Determining the veracity of a rape allegation in the absence of incontrovertible evidence is highly problematic and complicated by vagaries of surrounding issues. The purpose of the present study was to utilise a unique, multi-faceted approach with a representative US complete dataset (n=351) to identify the most prominent, distinguishing characteristics between genuine and false allegations. There are reasons to suggest that false allegations will be distinguishable from genuine rapes. The reasons include psychological dynamics such as a false allegers' (not a survivor of rape) reliance on rape myths for their fictitious account. In contrast, genuine reports of rape tend to encompass more specific behavioural details. 17% of the present population were objectively determined to be fabricated. Published results have indicated genuine rapes having a higher quantity and quality of reported actions. Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) was used to identify and categorise co-occurring behaviours, finding thematic consistency in genuine rapes. In contrast, false allegations revealed an erratic structure indicative of the fabricated stories' reliance on rape myths. Thematic structures are consistent with published findings which lends support to the grouping procedure utilised for this thesis. Additionally, a mean number of 6.6 behaviours in false allegations compared to the 9.3 behaviours controlled by the offender in genuine cases were observed. Partial Order Scalogram Analysis with base coordinates (POSAC) allows for using a combination of the most reliably distinguishing characteristics across cases. A developed model provided a unique method of exploring the qualitative and quantitative variations across cases. The eight most distinguishing behaviours were used to calculate a Behavioural Profile Score (BPS) for each incident and supported published results. As another potential means of assessing plausibility, analysis showed that genuine reports of rape contained greater detail as measured by the number of specific behaviours described. Although this thesis has various limitations, the results of three very distinctly different procedures all indicate distinguishable characteristics between genuine and false allegations. Additionally, it demonstrates the significance of myths in shaping actions and provides indications to why so many cases are indeterminate.

Details: Huddersfield, UK: University of Huddersfield, 2016. 272p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 17, 2016: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/27856/

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/27856/

Shelf Number: 138311

Keywords:
Criminal Investigations
Rape
Rape Victims
Sexual Violence
Victims of Crime

Author: Quigley, Martin

Title: Building Bridges: An Evaluation and Social Return on Investment Study of the Le Cheile Restorative Justice Project

Summary: The Le Cheile Restorative Justice Project is Ireland's first and only non-statutory youth restorative justice service. The Project's primary focus is on providing a range of restorative justice interventions to young people from the Limerick area, who have been involved in crime and are being worked with by the Probation service. Le Cheile wanted an external evaluation of how effective their restorative justice programme was, and a Social Return on Investment analysis. What we did We worked with Le Cheile staff, clients, victims, family members and other professionals to develop a clear understanding of the outcomes of the project. We worked with many interagency partners, like Young Persons Probation, An Garda Siochana, Support After Crimes Services and other community agencies to develop a greater understanding what worked well, what could be improved and what happened as a result of the interventions received For the Social Return on Investment analysis, interviews and focus groups were held with a range of stakeholders including children and young people, members of their families, the victims, representatives of criminal justice agencies and other professionals.

Details: Le Cheile, Ireland: Le Cheile Mentoring and Youth Justice Support Services, 2015. 126p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2016 at: http://qualitymatters.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Building-Bridges-Restorative-Justice-SROI-Evaluation-2015.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Ireland

URL: http://qualitymatters.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Building-Bridges-Restorative-Justice-SROI-Evaluation-2015.pdf

Shelf Number: 138451

Keywords:
Restorative Justice
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Weitekamp, Elmar G.M.

Title: Developing Peacemaking Circles in a European Context

Summary: The first question to be asked, before even beginning with this research, was why do we want to focus on peacemaking circles? What sets them apart that we even want to try to implement them (or at least explore if an implementation is possible) in a European context? To answer this question, we have to look back at the broader context of restorative justice. Restorative justice has grown for the last few decades out of a criticism towards the traditional justice system. Christie, in his article "onflicts as property" was probably one of the first to describe so clearly that this traditional justice system itself took the conflict away from its rightful owners, namely victim, offender and the neighbourhood, and that we should strive to give it back to them (1977). Although this statement does not really focus on every nuance of the whole evolution of why the state came to claim the ownership of dealing with crime and therefore might oversimplify the issue, as a basic premise it still holds its value to this day. It is this premise that restorative justice practitioners still hold high as they try to bring victim and offender together to deal with the crime and its consequences. In the search of how to do this, restorative justice proponents were sometimes inspired by native ways of dealing with conflicts - although some criticized that restorative justice literature did too much "butterfly-collecting": picking native practices that helped build the restorative discourse, without spending too much attention to the context of those practices (Crawford, 2002). As such, restorative justice seems to focus on three large methodological approaches, where especially the latter two find their roots, at least partially, in native practices: victim-offender mediation, conferencing and (peacemaking) circles. The success of restorative justice has led in the last decade(s) to a growth in both the use and regulation, both in international and national law, of restorative justice practices in Europe. Victim-offender mediation is the most wide-spread in Europe, although conferencing is gaining ground (Zinsstag & Vanfraechem, 2012). Circles however, are not used in Europe at the moment. It is in that use of restorative justice practices and the regulation thereof that we tend to see a growing distinction offender mediation is the most wide-spread in Europe, although conferencing is gaining ground (Zinsstag & Vanfraechem, 2012). Circles however, are not used in Europe at the moment. It is in that use of restorative justice practices and the regulation thereof that we tend to see a growing distinction between the restorative justice theory and the restorative justice practice. And that distinction lies entirely in the question that already arose in the previously mentioned article from Christie: who are the rightful owners of a conflict?

Details: Tubingen: Institute for Criminology, University of Tubingen, 2015, 833p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2016 at: https://www.jura.uni-tuebingen.de/einrichtungen/ifk/forschung/sanktionsforschung/abgeschlossen/implementing-peacemaking-circles-in-europe/forschungsbericht

Year: 2015

Country: Europe

URL: https://www.jura.uni-tuebingen.de/einrichtungen/ifk/forschung/sanktionsforschung/abgeschlossen/implementing-peacemaking-circles-in-europe/forschungsbericht

Shelf Number: 138481

Keywords:
Restorative Justice
Victim-Offender Mediation
Victims of Crime

Author: Dumont, Robyn

Title: 2015 Maine Crime Victimization Report

Summary: The purpose of the Maine Crime Victimization Survey (MCVS) is to understand the extent of criminal victimization in Maine. This study includes findings from the most recent MCVS and features comparisons with other MCVS surveys done in 2006 and 2011. Several states do their own crime victimization surveys because findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), cannot be analyzed at the state level. As of July 2014, 14 states had developed and administered their own crime victimization surveys. Utah and Idaho have administered their surveys six and four times respectively. The MCVS supplements other crime findings, most notably the Department of Public Safety's annual Crime in Maine reports. What sets the MCVS report apart from other crime reports in Maine is that it includes both reported and unreported crimes and the characteristics of both victims and offenders. The following is a summary of key findings from the 2015 survey: Crime Perceptions 􀂃 Most Mainers felt safe in their communities: A total of 91.0% of survey respondents indicated that they felt safe in the communities in which they lived. Likewise, 86.3% of survey respondents stated they were not fearful of being the victims of a violent crime. 􀂃 Victims of crime felt less safe in their communities: Only 67.6% of those who were victims of violent crime in the past 12 months felt safe in their communities. Also, 78.1% of respondents who reported being the victim of a property crime in the last 12 months felt safe. 􀂃 More than two-thirds of survey respondents indicated that law enforcement was doing a good job in their communities: 69.1% of respondents indicated that law enforcement was doing a good job. This figure falls to 34.3% for victims of violent crime in the past 12 months and 48.0% for victims of property crime in the past 12 months. 􀂃 One out of five respondents (20.0%) believed that crime had increased over the past three years: Among crime victims, however, the rate was higher-41.7% of violent crime victims believed crime in their communities had increased. 􀂃 Mainers feel that drug abuse contributes most to crime: Over three-quarters of survey respondents (79.2%) held this view. After drugs, respondents identified exposure to domestic violence, lack of parental discipline, alcohol, poverty, and the breakdown of family life as contributors. Respondents reported the highest victimization rates for identity theft, property crime, and stalking. Identity Theft 36.4% of respondents reported being victimized by identity theft in the previous 12 months. Property Crime 15.1% of respondents reported being victimized by property crime in the previous 12 months. Stalking 14.4% of respondents reported being the recipient of unwanted behavior that constitutes stalking in the previous 12 months.

Details: Portland, ME: Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, 2015. 66p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 31, 2016 at: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/justiceresearch/Publications/Adult/2015_Maine_Crime_Victimization_Survey.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/justiceresearch/Publications/Adult/2015_Maine_Crime_Victimization_Survey.pdf

Shelf Number: 138516

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Crime Survey
Victimization Survey
Victims of crime

Author: Kirchengast, Tyrone

Title: Participation of Victims of Crime in New South Wales Court Processed

Summary: This is the Final Full Report of the study, Participation of Victims of Crime in NSW Court Processes. It presents the main analysis of data, findings and recommendations and may be read in conjunction with the Final Report - Executive Summary. An information sheet is also available. This study determines the extent of victim participation in NSW criminal courts via a four stage methodology by 1. scoping the current laws, regulations and rules that determine victim participation in NSW criminal courts, 2. surveying victims of crime as to their modes, expectations and levels of satisfaction with court participation, 3. interviews with justice officials as to their experience and expectations with victim participation in court, and 4. synthesis of a typology of modes of participation following the analysis of stages 1-3. 142 victims participated in the survey of victim expectations and 19 justice officials were interviewed in this study. Victims' self-identified across a range of injuries and harms that spanned family members of homicide victims, offences to the person, sexual and indecent assault, robbery, and fraud. Victims also identified other offences, specifically, domestic violence. Justice officials included judicial officers from all NSW criminal courts, members of the NSW State Parole Authority, Mental Health Review Tribunal, NSW Police, Police prosecutors, ODPP prosecutors and a solicitor working with victims of domestic violence. The data was assessed in the context of a thematic analysis that determined consistent points or issues of concern amongst survey participants. These themes were also used to group interview data and assess the ways in which justice officials categorised and permitted victim participation in court. Both victims and justice officials tended to conceptualise victim participation in terms of an adversarial exchange between state and offender, such that victims were usually always removed from court processes unless otherwise asked to attend to assist the state in its prosecution of crime. This led to a range of problems for victims regarding the representation of their interests, feelings of removal and at times ill treatment, from court processes that otherwise concern them. While some victims praised justice officials, specifically investigating police and police prosecutors in local court proceedings, other victims felt removed and excluded from the system, especially for longer or ongoing matters dealt with on indictment before judge and jury. Tests for significance and correlation between demographics and court processes indicated that certain victim groups had significantly different expectations of NSW court processes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ('ATSI') victims were less satisfied with overall court processes and sentencing than non-ATSI victims. Victims in rural and remote locations were less likely to want further participation, however, financial and property loss victims wanted greater participation. There were also statistical differences as to the perceived helpfulness of witness assistance officers by gender. The aims of this study sought to determine levels of victim participation generally including impediments to participation and as such the following recommends were made: that Victims Services NSW offers legal education to the criminal justice professions to further enhance the understanding and significance of victims' rights, to consider the potential role of victim advocates as professional members of the criminal justice system charged with supporting the victim throughout their justice journey, and to consider the characterisation of the Charter of Victims Rights as relevant to all justice officials. Recommendations for further research were also made in light of the outcomes of this study, in particular, to focus on the needs of identified victim groups to determine their acute needs with regard to court participation, and to determine the extent to which further assistance and organisation of services through an advocacy scheme affects the current role of service providers, including lawyers, the courts and judiciary, in terms of the overall coherence of the NSW criminal justice system.

Details: Parramatta, NSW: Victims Services, NSW, 2014. 313p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 23, 2016 at: http://www.victimsclearinghouse.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Kirchengast_Victim%20Participation%20Study%20Final%20Report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.victimsclearinghouse.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Kirchengast_Victim%20Participation%20Study%20Final%20Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 138780

Keywords:
Criminal Courts
Victims of Crime
Victims Services

Author: Osterman, Linnea

Title: Making Restorative Justice Work for Women Who Have Offended

Summary: Restorative justice is about direct communication between a victim and their offender, typically through a face to face conference. It holds offenders to account for what they have done, helps them to take responsibility and make amends, and also gives victims the chance to explain the real impact of the crime. While restorative justice has experienced a surge in both theory and practice of late, there remains "[a] woeful lack of evidence regarding female offenders in restorative justice conferences" (Miles, 2013: 8). The vast majority of evidence around restorative justice is gender-blind (Cook, 2006), and/or uses an all-male sample. This is despite a significant and growing evidence base showing that women1 involved in criminal justice have different offending patterns and come into the system with different backgrounds (Elis, 2005). In view of this, recent years have seen a mounting recognition in both policy and practice of the value of gender-sensitive approaches when working with women in criminal justice. This study critically questioned whether restorative justice is lagging behind other areas for criminal justice service provision in this area. The extremely limited literature that exists suggests that very low numbers of female offender cases go through to conference, and that there is a perception in the field that women who have committed an offence are more reluctant to engage in restorative justice (Miles, 2013). The reasons behind this remain unclear, though it is not wholly unlikely to be related to the particular nature and circumstances of female offending. Moreover, there are tentative suggestions in the literature that restorative justice may have a stronger effect on women who offend, especially those convicted of violent offences (Strang, 2015; Sherman et al, 2006). Again, the reasons behind these suggestions remain unclear, though theories include higher levels of empathy and a particular female 'ethics of care', positive impacts on mental health and new opportunities for engagement with services and positive networks. In contrast, some gendered risks have also been highlighted in the limited literature, including that restorative justice, if not well delivered, may exacerbate mental health problems, linked to particular experiences of shame, guilt, and a higher prevalence of vulnerability, trauma and self-harm.

Details: London: Restorative Justice Council, 2016. 68p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 13, 2016 at: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/making_restorative_justice_work_for_women_offenders_fullreport.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/making_restorative_justice_work_for_women_offenders_fullreport.pdf

Shelf Number: 139008

Keywords:
Alternatives to Incarceration
Female Offenders
Gender-Specific Programs
Restorative Justice
Victims of Crime

Author: Stathopoulos, Mary

Title: Establishing the Connection: Interventions linking service responses for sexual assault with drug or alcohol use/abuse: Final report

Summary: Establishing the Connection was a Victorian-based study that aimed to examine the intersections between alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and sexual victimisation and trauma, how both support sectors currently work together, and how they can respond more effectively to the needs of those affected. The study found that: - Participants from both the AOD and the sexual assault sectors demonstrated a practical understanding of the interrelationship between drug and alcohol use and sexual victimisation. The overlap between sexual victimisation and alcohol and other drug use was very relevant for AOD and sexual assault counsellors and managers who were aware of the very large numbers of potentially "shared" clients. - Current practice in the assessment and intake processes in the AOD and sexual assault sectors varies considerably and reflects both the organisational frameworks that guide practice, as well as the initiative and confidence of individuals in the sectors in referring clients to other services. - Factors that hinder collaboration included insufficient resources; uncertainty about how the other sector works; lack of communication; and role creep, which describes the expansion of demands and activities of a job or role over time that are not balanced by additional resources to support them. - Practitioners and managers expressed great interest in expanding their understanding of the other sector through a variety of avenues, some of which included: shared focus on client-centred care; openness to discussion and sharing information; previous interagency collaboration; and policy and governance support. Findings from the report informed the development of practice guidelines to assist service providers with the identification, assessment, response and referral of individuals and families affected by co-occurring sexual abuse victimisation and substance use issues.

Details: Alexandria, NSW: National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Limited (ANROWS), 2016. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: ANROWS Horizons, Issue 02/2016: Accessed May 31, 2016 at: http://media.aomx.com/anrows.org.au/Establishing%20the%20Connection%20Horizons.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Australia

URL: http://media.aomx.com/anrows.org.au/Establishing%20the%20Connection%20Horizons.pdf

Shelf Number: 139249

Keywords:
Alcohol and Crime
Drug Abuse and Crime
Rape
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence
Victims of Crime

Author: Liagre, Febe

Title: Preventing Secondary Victimization : policies and practices

Summary: Secondary Victimization, which means the victimization of victims by government officials after a crime has occurred, is not an overly known phenomenon. However, it is important to focus on this phenomenon, because the nature of a criminal act leaves a victim vulnerable and in need of assistance. Victims are, often for the very first time, involved in the criminal justice system and may have to speak to police officers, lawyers and judges and ultimately go to court. This process can be confusing and overwhelming and when these parties, who are there to protect, inform and help them, victimize the victims further by their behaviour and reactions, it can further traumatize the victims and let them lose faith in the system. Because of this factor of unknown, the toolbox is primary written for local policy-makers and practitioners since they will be confronted with victims in their daily work. Therefore we hope that this toolbox with its guideline and good practices provides for an easy-to-use framework to start the prevention of Secondary Victimization.

Details: Brussels: European Crime Prevention Network, 2016. 74p.

Source: Internet Resource: EUCPN Toolbox Series, No. 7: http://eucpn.org/sites/default/files/content/download/files/toolbox_vii_-_final.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Europe

URL: http://eucpn.org/sites/default/files/content/download/files/toolbox_vii_-_final.pdf

Shelf Number: 139582

Keywords:
Secondary Victimization
Victimization
Victims of crime

Author: Californians for Safety and Justice

Title: California Crime Victims' Voices: Findings from the First-Every Survey of California Crime Victims and Survivors

Summary: Who are crime victims in California? How does crime impact them and their thinking? What are their unmet needs - and experience with victim services? We explore these questions and more in a report that includes the first survey data from California crime victims. Historically, there has been a lack of data on who California's crime victims are, what they need to recover from crime and their opinions about our state's justice priorities. To begin filling this gap, we commissioned the first-ever survey of California crime victims. In April 2013, David Binder Research polled more than 2,600 Californians who were broadly representative of California's population with respect to race, ethnicity, age and gender. Of those, 500 identified as having been a victim of crime in the last five years, and these respondents answered 61 questions regarding their experiences and perspectives. This report describes the findings of this survey and points to opportunities for further research and reforms to improve victim recovery. Among the findings, it may be surprising to some that California victims - even when profoundly impacted by their experience with crime - overwhelmingly favor a system that focuses on rehabilitation rather than incarceration. Survey findings reflect a different perspective than commonly understood about the views of California crime victims. These views are not always reflected accurately in the media or around state policy tables.

Details: Oakland, CA: Californians for Safety and Justice, 2013. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2016 at: http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/211/72/d/228/2/VictimsReport_07_16_13.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/211/72/d/228/2/VictimsReport_07_16_13.pdf

Shelf Number: 139965

Keywords:
Crime Victims
Victims of Crime

Author: Chandler, Arnold

Title: Violence Trends, Patterns and Consequences for Black Males in America: A Call to Action

Summary: Rates of violent victimization and offending among young black males have declined substantially over the past couple of decades, serving as a welcome reversal to an epidemic growth in violence during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yet rates for these young boys and men remain alarmingly high, and their disparate experience with violence sets them apart from nearly every other demographic group including black men older than 25, white men, and black women. This report paints a detailed picture of the trends and patterns of violent offending and victimization among young black males as well as the profound consequences this violence wreaks upon not only the lives and futures of these boys and young men but that of their families and communities as well. Summarizing and marshalling the latest scientific research, this report seeks to galvanize leaders to take vital action across our nation's cities to reduce violence and violent deaths among young black males.

Details: Louisville, KY: Cities United, 2016. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2016 at: http://citiesunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Violence-Trends-Patterns-and-Consequences-for-Black-Males-in-America-A-Call-to-Action.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://citiesunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Violence-Trends-Patterns-and-Consequences-for-Black-Males-in-America-A-Call-to-Action.pdf

Shelf Number: 140154

Keywords:
African-Americans
Victims of Crime
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Cross, Cassandra

Title: The Reporting Experiences and Support Needs of Victims of Online Fraud

Summary: Although fraud has been practiced throughout history, the advent of the internet has created new and effective avenues for targeting potential victims. Victims of online fraud experience substantial financial and other harms, resulting in annual losses in Australia of more than $2b, significant organisational disruption and devastating human suffering. Prior research in this area has generally been conducted through victim surveys and the analysis of official administrative datasets, but little research has involved speaking with victims of online fraud about their experiences. This paper presents the results of in-depth interviews conducted with a sample of 80 individuals from across Australia who lodged complaints of online fraud involving losses of $10,000 or more over the preceding four years. Their stories illustrate the financial impact of fraud and the emotional, psychological, interpersonal and physical impacts of their victimisation. They also document the barriers they faced in reporting these crimes. The paper concludes by identifying the support needs of victims of online fraud.

Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2016. 14p.

Source: Internet Resource: Trends & Issues in crime and criminal justice, no. 518: Accessed September 3, 2016 at: http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi518.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Australia

URL: http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi518.pdf

Shelf Number: 145630

Keywords:
Consumer Fraud
Fraud
Online Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Great Britain. House of Commons. Justice Committee

Title: Restorative Justice: Fourth Report of Session 2016-17

Summary: In this report we consider the effectiveness of restorative justice (RJ) provision across the criminal justice system. The push from the Ministry of Justice has been for high quality restorative justice to be available to victims at every stage of the criminal justice system irrespective of where they are geographically, the age of the offender or the offence committed against them and we support these objectives in this report. We have focused our analysis on the services currently available to victims. We examine the evidence base for the effectiveness of restorative justice. We conclude that while undue reliance should not be placed on the statistic that $8 is saved for every $1 spent on RJ, there are benefits in both reductions in reoffending and in providing tangible benefits to victims. Our attention was drawn to doubts around the use of restorative justice in cases of sexual offences, domestic abuse and hate crime. In particular we received submissions concerned with the appropriateness of restorative justice in cases of domestic abuse. While acknowledging the real and substantial risks, our view is that, while restorative justice will not be appropriate in every case, it should not be excluded simply by reason of the type of offence committed. We found that restorative justice provision is currently subject to a 'postcode lottery' and regional buy-in. While ring-fencing funding to Police and Crime Commissioners may appear superficially attractive, we do not believe budgets for restorative justice could be set in a reliable or sensible manner. Our other principal recommendations and conclusions can be summed up as follows: - Restorative justice is well embedded in the youth justice system, although there is further work to be done, particularly in improving victim engagement. We recommend the Ministry of Justice looks to the example of youth conferencing used in Northern Ireland. - Problems in data sharing have presented a somewhat intractable obstacle to the development of restorative justice. We recommend the creation and dissemination of a national data sharing template to help speed up the agreement of data sharing protocols. - There is evidence of mixed compliance with the requirement under the Victims' Code to make victims aware of restorative justice, and we recommend the introduction of a system to improve compliance. - The entitlements under the Victims' Code should be rationalised so they no longer vary based on the age of the offender. - The Ministry should consult with PCCs and Stakeholders to ensure there is sufficient capacity to feasibly introduce an entitlement to restorative justice under the Victims' Code. - It is too soon to introduce a legislative right to access restorative justice services but such a goal is laudable and should be actively worked towards. We believe a right to access such services should be included in the Victims' Law but that provision should only be commenced once the Minister has demonstrated to Parliament that the system has sufficient capacity.

Details: London: House of Commons, 2016. 41p.

Source: Internet Resource: HC 164: Accessed September 14, 2016 at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmjust/164/164.pdf?utm_source=164&utm_medium=module&utm_campaign=modulereports

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmjust/164/164.pdf?utm_source=164&utm_medium=module&utm_campaign=modulereports

Shelf Number: 147868

Keywords:
Restorative Justice
Victim Services
Victim-Offender Mediation
Victims of Crime

Author: Oudekerk, Barbara A.

Title: Co-Offending Among Adolescents in Violent Victimization, 2004-2013

Summary: Presents estimates of nonfatal violent victimizations perceived by the victim to be committed by adolescents ages 12 to 17 during 2004-13. This report compares the characteristics of violent victimizations committed by adolescents acting alone, with other adolescents, and with young adults ages 18 to 29. Victim, offender, and incident characteristics are highlighted, including the type of crime, weapon use, victim injury, and whether reported to police. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey, a self-report survey administered every 6 months to persons age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Highlights: Adolescent offenders who acted alone or with others committed 50.0 nonfatal violent victimizations per 1,000 adolescents. Adolescent offenders committed 22% of all violent victimizations, while making up 10% of the U.S. population age 12 or older during this period. In violent victimizations committed by adolescents who acted with at least one other person, co-offenders were most commonly other adolescents (59%) or young adults (28%). More violent victimizations were committed by adolescents who acted alone (64%) than those who acted with co-offenders (36%). Simple assaults made up a greater percentage of violent victimizations committed by adolescents acting alone (77%) or with other adolescents (71%), compared to victimizations by adolescents acting with young adults (53%).

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 19, 2016 at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/caavv0413.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/caavv0413.pdf

Shelf Number: 140356

Keywords:
Adolescents
Co-Offending
Crime Statistics
Victimization
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime
Violent Crime

Author: Ortega Londono, Carolina

Title: Happiness and Victimization in Latin America

Summary: In recent decades, studies on economics have identified happiness as a life quality indicator that not only accounts for individuals' socioeconomic improvement but also accounts for their interactions with institutions and public goods, such as personal safety and protection of life. This study examines the determinants of individual happiness of Latin American citizens by focusing on whether the individual had been a victim of a crime in the last twelve months. To do this, a generalized ordered logit with partial constraints is used to analyze data obtained from the Americas Barometer Survey of 2014. The individual self- reported level of life satisfaction is used to study its relationship with having been a victim of a crime during the previous year. The results suggest the existence of a negative relationship between having been a victim of a crime in the past twelve months and being very satisfied with life.

Details: Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia: Universidad EAFIT, 2016. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: No. 16-28: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: https://repository.eafit.edu.co/bitstream/handle/10784/9115/WP-2016-28%20Carolina%20Ortega.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Year: 2016

Country: Latin America

URL: https://repository.eafit.edu.co/bitstream/handle/10784/9115/WP-2016-28%20Carolina%20Ortega.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 140366

Keywords:
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: McLean, Lavinia

Title: The Effect of Violent Video Game Play on Gamer's Views of Victims of Crime

Summary: This research was designed to explore the relationship between violent video game play and attitudes towards victims. As the violent genre of games become more popular and as the graphics and content becomes even more realistic and immersive, there has been concern that this media form offers a different perspective on violence to players than more passive forms of media. Much of the research in the area of violent video game research has focused on changes in players in terms of aggressive behaviour, following exposure to these games. The present research was designed to explore any changes in affect and cognition, in terms of attitudes, that may be associated with video game play, and also to explore any factors that may moderate or mediate these changes in players, with a particular emphasis on adolescents and female gamers. The overall aims of the thesis were to establish i) the attitudes of gamers towards victims of crime ii) the role of moral disengagement strategies in violent video game play iii) the nature and experience of female violent video game play. The aims were addressed through four stages of linked research utilising a multi method design including a survey of adolescents (n=206), semi structured interviews (n=50), an online and paper survey (n=605) and analysis of a female gamer online discussion posts, in order to explore the impact of violent video game play The principal findings of this thesis noted young people who played violent video games reporting less concern for victims of crime, and attributed more blame to the victims of crime, particularly non serious victims and those that could be viewed as culpable for the crimes. While moral disengagement has been proposed as a mechanism through which people may justify immoral conduct, in the current studies the video game players were less likely than sports players to endorse moral disengagement strategies. They were found however to use a specific set of moral disengagement strategies (cognitive restructuring) than sports players and this may be related to the structures of the games, both virtual and sporting. In relation to female gamers, gaming was found to be a key element of the female gamers' identity, with females discussing the integration of gaming into their daily lives on a number of different levels. Similar to previous research, the social elements of gaming was highlighted while simultaneous difficulties with Page 12 of 281 online interaction emphasised for female gamers. The results of the studies are discussed in relation to the experience of gaming and the possible mediating and moderating factors that may explain these effects. The results suggest that cognitive distortions, developmental stages, gender and differences in identification with game characters may explain differences in attitudes towards victims which were observed. These concepts are discussed in relation to risk and protective factors that may be important in understanding any relationship between violent video game play and less positive attitudes towards victims.

Details: Nottingham, UK: Nottingham Trent University, 2015. 281p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 28, 2016 at: http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/27924/

Year: 2015

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/27924/

Shelf Number: 140494

Keywords:
Victims of Crime
Video Games
Video Violence

Author: Bolivar, Daniela

Title: Victims and Restorative Justice: An empirical study of the needs, experience and position of the victim within restorative justice practices: Country Reports

Summary: This report covers the final findings of the two-year research project "victims and restorative justice" coordinated by the European Forum for Restorative Justice and implemented in The Netherlands, Finland and Austria. This research aimed to study the position of the victim in restorative justice (RJ). To do so, two main issues were addressed: on the one hand, the experiences of victims of crime who had participated (or not, for whatever reason) in victim-offender mediation and, on the other hand, the opinions and views of practitioners from the fields of victim support and RJ. This report focuses on the empirical findings on victims' experiences. Researchers from the three countries that took part in this study (Austria, Finland and The Netherlands) describe and analyse their findings through three informative chapters. Finally, some conclusions are drawn and some implications for practice and research are discussed (chapter 4). A more detailed and analytical account of specific aspects of our research in addition to other findings not included in this report can be found in the publication Vanfraechem, I., Bolivar, D. and Aertsen, I., eds., 2015. Victims and Restorative Justice. London: Routledge. This publication offers a theoretical and empirical overview of the position of the victim within European RJ practices so it can be considered as a necessary complement to this country reports.

Details: Utrecht: European Forum for Restorative Justice, 2015. 143p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2016 at: http://www.euforumrj.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/report_victimsandRJ-2.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.euforumrj.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/report_victimsandRJ-2.pdf

Shelf Number: 145114

Keywords:
Restorative Justice
Victim Services
Victim-Offender Mediation
Victims of Crime

Author: Browne, Angela

Title: Examining Criminal Justice Responses To and Help-Seeking Patterns of Sexual Violence Survivors with Disabilities

Summary: Despite national survey estimates indicating a sharp increase in rates of violent victimization and an increased risk of serious outcomes for people with reported disabilities compared to people without reported disabilities,i few studies have examined criminal justice responses to and help-seeking patterns of sexual assault survivors with disabilities. Goals of this exploratory study were to: 1. Describe criminal justice reporting of sexual assault against persons with disabilities (e.g., number and source of reports, characteristics of survivors and perpetrators, case characteristics, and case outcomes) using administrative and case file data from a large metropolitan area's District Attorney's Office (DAO)ii consisting of all sexual assault cases involving adults from 2008 to 2013 when the reported victim had a disability/was Deaf; 2. Assess how cases of sexual assault survivors with disabilities proceeded through the criminal court system, using administrative data, case file reviews, and Assistant District Attorney and Victim-Witness Advocate informational interviews; and 3. Describe help-seeking experiences of sexual assault survivors with disabilities from formal and informal sources, including influences on how and where they seek help, their experiences in reporting, barriers to reporting, and outcomes of this reporting, drawn from interviews with community-based survivors and service providers.

Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2016. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250196.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250196.pdf

Shelf Number: 145107

Keywords:
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Victims with Disabilities

Author: Ranapurwala, Shabbar I.

Title: Reporting Crime Victimizations to the Police and the Incidence of Future Victimizations: A Longitudinal Study

Summary: Background Law enforcement depends on cooperation from the public and crime victims to protect citizens and maintain public safety; however, many crimes are not reported to police because of fear of repercussions or because the crime is considered trivial. It is unclear how police reporting affects the incidence of future victimization. Objective To evaluate the association between reporting victimization to police and incident future victimization. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using National Crime Victimization Survey 2008-2012 data. Participants were 12+ years old household members who may or may not be victimized, were followed biannually for 3 years, and who completed at least one followup survey after their first reported victimization between 2008 and 2012. Crude and adjusted generalized linear mixed regression for survey data with Poisson link were used to compare rates of future victimization. Results Out of 18,657 eligible participants, 41% participants reported to their initial victimization to police and had a future victimization rate of 42.8/100 person-years (PY) (95% CI: 40.7, 44.8). The future victimization rate of those who did not report to the police (59%) was 55.0/ 100 PY (95% CI: 53.0, 57.0). The adjusted rate ratio comparing police reporting to not reporting was 0.78 (95%CI: 0.72, 0.84) for all future victimizations, 0.80 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.90) for interpersonal violence, 0.73 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.78) for thefts, and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.07) for burglaries. Conclusions Reporting victimization to police is associated with fewer future victimization, underscoring the importance of police reporting in crime prevention. This association may be attributed to police action and victim services provisions resulting from reporting.

Details: PLoS ONE 11(7): e0160072. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160072, 2016. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 17, 2016 at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/asset?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0160072.PDF

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/asset?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0160072.PDF

Shelf Number: 144863

Keywords:
Burglary
Domestic Violence
Intimate Partner Violence
Repeat Victimization
Theft
Victims of Crime

Author: Chakraborti, Neil

Title: Healing the Harms: Identifying How Best to Support Hate Crime Victims

Summary: Every year hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales suffer prejudice and hostility because of their identity or perceived 'difference'. This can include acts of physical violence, as well as the more 'everyday' forms of harassment and intimidation. Such victimisation is more commonly referred to as 'hate crime', which is defined by the College of Policing (2014: 3) as: 'Any crime or incident where the perpetrator's hostility or prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised.' The concept has come to be associated with five identity strands: namely, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and transgender status. According to official figures, in 2014-15 the Police Service recorded 52,528 hate crimes (Corcoran, Lader and Smith, 2015). It is widely acknowledged that this number is a considerable underestimate of the actual number of hate crimes taking place within England and Wales. The Crime Survey for England and Wales, which provides an alternative measure of hate crime victimisation, estimated that 222,000 incidents took place within the same time-frame (ibid, 2015). The issue of underreporting has been further highlighted through research which illustrates that the majority of hate crime victims do not report their experiences to the police or through available third-party reporting systems (Chakraborti, Garland, Hardy, 2014; Christmann and Wong, 2010). These studies suggest that there are a number of reasons as to why hate crime victims do not report their experiences to the police or to an alternative organisation. Many victims: - 'normalise' their experiences of hate crime - feel concerned about not being taken seriously - worry about retaliatory violence or making the situation worse - have a shortage of confidence in the criminal justice system - lack the time and emotional strength required to talk to a third party about their experiences Research also highlights that the majority of hate crime victims are not aware of or know how to access support services. This is especially concerning given that a growing body of research evidence shows that acts of hate crime cause significant emotional and physical damage to the well-being of victims, their families and wider communities (Iganski and Lagou, 2015; Chakraborti, Garland and Hardy, 2014). It is because of the significant levels of under-reporting and the relatively low uptake of support services that we lack a comprehensive understanding of how best to support those affected by hate crime. This report presents the findings of a study designed to identify the support needs of hate crime victims. The research was funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, and conducted in partnership with Hertfordshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire County Council. The specific aims of this research were: - to explore hate crime experiences in Hertfordshire; - to identify the extent to which actual and potential hate crime victims are aware of local and national support services; - to assess the actual or perceived barriers that prevent victims accessing support services; and - to provide an evidence-based template of good practice to inform the wider delivery of new and existing support services. If implemented, the recommendations included within this report have the capacity to make a sustained difference with respect to helping organisations and individuals support hate crime victims more effectively.

Details: Leicester, UK: University of Leicester, Centre for Hate Studies, 2016. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 17, 2016 at: http://hertscommissioner.org/fluidcms/files/files/pdf/Victims-Commissioning/Healing-the-Harms---Final-Report.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://hertscommissioner.org/fluidcms/files/files/pdf/Victims-Commissioning/Healing-the-Harms---Final-Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 140788

Keywords:
Bias Crimes
Hate Crime
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Leoschut, Lezanne

Title: How Risk the Rewards: Results of the 2005 National Youth Victimisation Study

Summary: � The study explored the victimisation experiences of 4409 South African youth between the ages of 12 and 22 years by means of a structured survey questionnaire. � The aim of the study was to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the crimes committed against youth in South Africa. � The objectives were two-fold: first, to assess the extent of victimisation experiences of young people; and second, to assess the nature and correlates of these experiences. � Participants were asked a series of questions pertaining to their exposure to, and experiences of, violence in their homes, at school and within their broader communities. � The types of crimes explored in the study included general violent crimes as well as property crimes. � Information was also obtained about their perceptions of their communities, home environments, involvement in social activities, as well as their knowledge of support structures. � The raw data was captured using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and was analysed by means of frequencies and cross-tabulations using chi-square statistical tests.

Details: Cape Town, South Africa: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, 2006. 104p.

Source: Internet Resource: Monograph Series, no. 1. Accessed October 20, 2016 at: https://www.issafrica.org/crimehub/uploads/National_Youth_Victimisation_Survey.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: South Africa

URL: https://www.issafrica.org/crimehub/uploads/National_Youth_Victimisation_Survey.pdf

Shelf Number: 102290

Keywords:
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime
Violence against Children

Author: Great Britain. Ministry of Justice

Title: Statistics on Women and the Criminal Justice System 2015.

Summary: This publication compiles statistics from data sources across the Criminal Justice System (CJS), to provide a combined perspective on the typical experiences of women who come into contact with it. It considers how these experiences have changed over time and how they contrast to the typical experiences of men. No causative links can be drawn from these summary statistics, and no controls have been applied to account for differences in circumstances between the males and females coming into contact with the CJS (e.g. average income or age); differences observed may indicate areas worth further investigation, but should not be taken as evidence of unequal treatment or as direct effects of sex. In general, females appear to have been substantially under-represented as offenders throughout the CJS compared with males. This is particularly true in relation to the most serious offence types and sentences, though patterns by sex vary between individual offences. Females were also typically underrepresented among practitioners in the CJS and among victims of violent crime, although they were more likely than males to have been a victim of intimate violence or child abuse. Trends over time for each sex often mirror overall trends, though this is not always the case. Victimisation According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, there was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of women and men that were victims of crime in 2015/16. Women were less likely than men to think that the CJS is fair and more likely to believe that crime is rising. Women were more likely to have been subject to abuse as children, particularly sexual assault. They were less likely to be victims of violent crime in general, but much more likely to be victims of sexual assault or domestic violence – and female homicide victims were far more likely than their male equivalents to have a current or former partner be the principal suspect for their death. Police Activity Less than a quarter of those given a penalty notice for disorder (22%) or caution (24%) were female. Women were underrepresented to an even greater extent among those arrested (16%), who are typically being dealt with for more serious offences than those dealt with out of court. For both out of court disposals and arrests, females were particularly likely to have been dealt with for theft offences. Defendants Over the last decade, the number of females prosecuted has risen by 6%, driven by increases in prosecutions for TV license evasion, while the number of males prosecuted has fallen by a third. Nevertheless, in line with police activity, females were still substantially underrepresented among those prosecuted, at just over a quarter of the total (27%). This is broadly mirrored in convictions, remands and sentencing, although women have a slightly higher conviction ratio. Women were more likely to be sentenced to fines and conditional discharges and less likely to be sentenced to custody, compared with men. They also received shorter immediate custodial sentences on average, with the gap increasing over the last decade, driven by increases in the number of prosecutions and average custodial sentence length of male sexual offenders. Offender Characteristics Females made up a quarter of first time offenders, but only one in seven of those dealt with who had a previous caution or conviction. Males were more likely to be sentenced to immediate custody and to receive custodial sentences of 6 months or longer than females with a similar criminal history. Three-fifths of offences committed by women with 15 or more previous cautions or convictions related to theft, compared with only two-fifths for men. Although males were more likely to reoffend, females had a higher number of proven reoffences on average per reoffender. Females were slightly more likely than males to reoffend following a short custodial sentence, but considerably less likely to reoffend following longer ones. Offenders under supervision or in custody Women represented only 5% of the prison population, a proportion that has fallen over the last decade. However, in line with sentencing patterns, women were typically serving shorter sentences and represented almost 9% of those admitted to custody. Female prisoners reported feeling better supported in prison, but less safe, and they were more likely to self-harm and self-harm more frequently than men. There were lower rates of assault in female prisons, but a slightly higher proportion of disciplinary incidents relative to the population. Women typically had shorter periods of probation and fewer requirements. They were also more likely than men to participate in education in prison, to be granted home detention curfew if eligible, to make a success of release on temporary license and to have their probation orders terminated early for good progress. Offence analysis A range of differences between the sexes could be seen when individual offences are examined; typical behaviours and outcomes vary between men and women at an offence level. For example, while women were more likely than men to have been prosecuted for TV license evasion, typical sentencing behaviour was the same for both sexes, whereas prosecutions for benefit fraud were close to evenly split between men and women, but males typically received more serious sentences. Trends also vary over time at an offence level: for example, women were becoming less likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence for indictable drug offence, while males were not. In line with overall trends, however, the differences that exist at offence level usually represent either less involvement or less serious involvement in the CJS for women than men. Practitioners Women were substantially underrepresented among the police and judiciary, at just over a quarter of practitioners, but represented more than half of those working in the Ministry of Justice, Crown Prosecution Service and female prison estate. In general, CJS functions involving direct contact with offenders had fewer females than males (and vice versa for those that do not), but the proportions have been slowly getting more equal since 2011. Female representation among senior staff was considerably lower than in the general workforce for all CJS organisations, but proportions have been rising.

Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2016. 172p.

Source: Internet Resource: A Ministry of Justice publication under Section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991: Accessed December 7, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572043/women-and-the-criminal-justice-system-statistics-2015.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572043/women-and-the-criminal-justice-system-statistics-2015.pdf

Shelf Number: 147933

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Criminal Justice Systems
Female Offenders
Female Police Officers
Female Victims
Victims of Crime

Author: Braakmann, Nils

Title: Crime, health and wellbeing -- Longitudinal evidence from Mexico

Summary: This paper uses variation in victimization probabilities between individuals living in the same community to shed new light on the costs of crime. I use panel data from the Mexican Family Life Survey for 2002 and 2005 and look at the impact of within-community differences in victimization risk on changes in self-rated and mental health. My results from fixed effects and instrumental variable estimations point towards substantial negative health effects of actual victimization, which might help to explain the existence of compensating differentials in wages or house prices found in earlier studies.

Details: Munich: Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2013. 25p.

Source: Internet Resource: MPRA Paper No. 44885: Accessed December 7, 2016 at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/44885/1/MPRA_paper_44882.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Mexico

URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/44885/1/MPRA_paper_44882.pdf

Shelf Number: 147945

Keywords:
Communities and Crime
Costs of Crime
Economic Analysis
Mental health
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Laxminarayan, Malini

Title: Can Conflict Resolution Reduce Fear in Crime Victims? A case study of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal

Summary: Over 50 million people have been displaced from their homes into refugee camps in countries around the world. Accounts of insecurity in refugee camps are pervasive. This insecurity is due to crime, the presence of military elements and (forcible) recruitment of refugees into rebel and military movements, and high rates of sexual and gender-based violence. Concern over personal security and fear is often high in these settings. Refugees’ experiences of persecution contributes to this fear and can combine with experiences of victimization to increase fear in camp settings. At the same time, research on justice and legal processes suggests that conflict resolution procedures that respond to criminal behavior may, when well conducted, play a role in alleviating fear. This working paper examines different aspects of conflict resolution within Bhutanese refugee camps in Nepal and investigates, using research conducted in 2011, the role of these factors in reducing fear among crime victims. The findings show that several factors relating to both legal processes and outcomes play a significant role in reducing fear among victims. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Details: The Hague: Hague Institute for Global Justice, 2015. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Working paper 12: Accessed December 15, 2016 at: http://www.thehagueinstituteforglobaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Bhutanese-Refugees-Nepal.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Nepal

URL: http://www.thehagueinstituteforglobaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Bhutanese-Refugees-Nepal.pdf

Shelf Number: 146160

Keywords:
Conflict Resolution
Fear of Crime
Refugees
Victims of Crime

Author: Police Executive Research Forum

Title: Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Summary: On August 4, 2015, law enforcement executives and officers, crime victim advocates, academics, and other subject matter experts convened to discuss a draft of the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence publication and to share promising practices and to develop effective strategies for serving victims of these crimes. The guidance in that publication aims to reflect and further the partnership between the DOJ and law enforcement executives, line officers, and supervisors, who work to uphold the civil and human rights of the communities they serve. Sexual assault and domestic violence constitute a significant portion of total violent crime, but two out of three victims of such offenses do not seek law enforcement assistance. It is incumbent upon law enforcement agencies to provide support for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence who wish to pursue criminal charges, and agencies should create an environment in which victims feel comfortable and respected. Law enforcement agencies are usually a crime victim's first point of contact with the larger criminal justice system, so they have a responsibility to establish their legitimacy with victims. Women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have been disproportionately affected by crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence, and unde-renforcement of such offenses can constitute a gender-based bias on the part of law enforcement agencies. This bias can be avoided with thoughtful and informed policy development, high-quality training, strong leadership, and established accountability measures. The DOJ released Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence on December 15, 2015 with the support and input of state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies; advocates and experts in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault; and public service agencies and stakeholders. A replica of that document is included at end of this publication, and a related fact sheet is available online.

Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016. 86p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2016 at: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0796-pub.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0796-pub.pdf

Shelf Number: 147771

Keywords:
Bias
Domestic Violence
Gender-Related Bias
Sexual Assault
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Marshall, Ineke Haen

Title: Youth Victimization and Reporting to Police: First Results from the Third Round of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3)

Summary: The young are often considered our greatest resource; children are viewed as human capital that society depends on for continued growth and sustainability. Children also deserve special protection against violence (United Nations 1990; Council of Europe 2012). That is why we are willing to invest a lot in improving youth policies, building better educational systems, stronger families, and happier communities. Children are also the cause of great worries among parents, educators, police and other adults, particularly during the teenage years, which are times of turmoil and transition, when youth rebel against adults, get involved in risky behavior, and start experimenting with illegal behavior. Young people are also quite vulnerable to being exploited and victimized, not only by strangers, but also by their peers, their parents, or other trusted adults. This report provides some international evidence about their experiences. The third round of the International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD3) project asks children from 7th, 8th and 9th grade (12-16 year olds) in over 30 countries about their experiences as victims of crime and as offenders; it also asks about their everyday lives and attitudes. In this report we present the first findings for the 15 countries for which preliminary comparative data are available. Thus, this first findings report is based on the participation of more than 38,000 young people in cities or regions of Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and Venezuela. Each country organized its own fieldwork and translation, following a joint research protocol. The surveys were completed in schools, either online or through paper and pencil questionnaires. For more information on the methodology, see Table 1 below. The survey should not be considered representative of the whole population of young people in these countries but instead of 7th to 9th grade students in those cities or regions in which the data were collected. The selection of countries included in this primary report reflect the practical sequence of data collection rather than any substantial consideration regarding which countries are of interest to compare. In incorporating questions about offending, the survey combines the methods of self-report delinquency surveys and of victimization surveys. The primary goal of the ISRD project is the analysis of risk factors of juvenile delinquency in a manner that enables us to factor in national differences and contextual sources of influence. Secondarily, the project produces information that gives local stakeholders information about the specific patterns of youth crime in their areas. In addition to these goals, the project enables the comparison of delinquency patterns in various areas and cities. In this primary report, we focus on the third set of findings, planning to undertake more detailed risk factor analyses when more countries are in the dataset.

Details: Boston: Northeastern University, 2015. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: ISRD3 Technical Report Series #3: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: http://www.northeastern.edu/isrd/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ISRD3_TechRep_03.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://www.northeastern.edu/isrd/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ISRD3_TechRep_03.pdf

Shelf Number: 147804

Keywords:
Criminal Justice Statistics
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Victims
Self-Report Studies
Victimization Studies
Victims of Crime

Author: Pope, Kalis

Title: Young People's Experiences of Crime: an Investigation into the Victimisation and Offending of Inner-City Dublin Youth

Summary: This project is one of the first empirical investigations into youth victimisation and offending in Ireland and is one of three research projects that were established under the Youth Crime Research Project: Young People's Experiences of Crime. Victim surveys are of particular interest to this study, as they help to illuminate the 'dark figure' of crime through ascertaining individual's experiences of victimisation, while simultaneously collecting pertinent information regarding their own level of criminality. A common failure among the majority of victim surveys, however, is that they do not investigate the experiences of young people. This project seeks to address this deficiency. Through the use of a victim survey, structural equation models, and focus groups, this research will also analyse the extent and nature of youth victimisation and offending in inner-city Dublin, possible correlations between victimisation and offending behaviour, the role parental supervision and routine activities/lifestyle choices play in determining the risk of victimisation and offending, and the role gender plays in young people’s experiences of crime. Previous research has shown that victimisation is a strong indicator of likely participation in delinquent behaviour. However, many young people have been victimised, yet do not pursue a delinquent lifestyle as a result, suggesting a strong similarity between victimogenic and criminogenic risk factors, such as age and environment. The control that guardians exert over youth is also paramount in determining what type of lifestyle youth can pursue in the first place. As youth cannot be supervised at all times, the lifestyle choices they make regardless of parental influence, will also be investigated. Finally, this research aims to be instrumental in the future development of a nationwide survey of youth experiences of crime in Ireland.

Details: Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology, 2015. 367p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=appadoc

Year: 2015

Country: Ireland

URL: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=appadoc

Shelf Number: 147802

Keywords:
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Juvenile Victimization
Victimization Studies
Victims of Crime
Youth Victimization

Author: Aho, Nikolas

Title: Victimization, Prevalence, Health and Peritraumatic Reactions in Swedish Adolescents

Summary: The aim of this thesis was to expand the knowledge of victimization in children and youth in Sweden. Victimization, prevalence, health and peritraumatic reactions were explored in a cross sectional, representative sample of 5,960 second grade high school students in Sweden. A computerized survey was developed and administered in class room setting. Lifetime victimization was found in 84.1% of the sample (m=83.0%, f=85.2%), and, in relation to the five domains, 66.4% had experienced conventional crime, 24% child maltreatment, 54.4% peer and sibling victimization, 21.8% sexual victimization, and 54% had experienced witness victimization. Females experienced significantly more child maltreatment, peer and sibling victimization, sexual victimization, and witnessed victimization, males more conventional crime (p<0.001). Using logistic regression risk factors for victimization were confirmed by a significant increase OR regarding gender, environment and lack of both parents. Symptoms (TSCC), were clearly associated with both victimizations per se and the number of victimizations. The results indicated a relatively linear increase in symptoms with an increase in number of events experienced. Mental health of the polyvictimized group was significantly worse than that of the non-polyvictimized group, with significantly elevated TSCC scores (t<0.001). Hierarchical regression analysis resulted in beta value reduction when polyvictimization was introduced supporting the independent effect on symptoms. Social anxiety was found in 10.2 % (n = 605) of the total group (n = 5,960). A significant gender difference emerged, with more females than males reporting social anxiety. Elevated PTSS was found in 14.8 % (n=883). Binary logistic regression revealed the highest OR for having had contact with child and adolescent psychiatry was found for the combined group with social anxiety and elevated PTSS (OR = 4.88, 95 % CI = 3.53 - 6.73, p<001). Significant associations were also found between use of child and adolescent psychiatry and female gender (OR = 2.05, 95 % CI = 1.70 - 2.45), Swedish birth origin (OR = 1.68, 95 % CI = 1.16-2.42) and living in a small municipality (OR = 1.33, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.73). Mediation models used peritraumatic reactions (PT): total, physiological arousal (PA), peritraumatic dissociation (PD), and intervention thoughts (IT) and JVQ and TSCC. Of the n=5,332 cases, a total of n=4,483 (84.1%) reported at least one victimizing event (m = 83.0%, f = 85.2%). Of these, 74.9% (n=3,360) also experienced a PT reaction of some kind. The effect mediated by PT tot was b= 0.479, BCa CI [0.342 - 0.640], representing a relatively small effect of 7.6%, 2=0.076, 95% BCa CI [0.054-0.101]. The mediating effect of JVQ on TSCC was mediated by PD more for males (b=0.394 BCa CI [0.170-0.636]) than for females (b=0.247, BCa CI [0.021-0.469]). The indirect effect of the JVQ on the TSCC total mediated by the different PT reactions was significant for PD (b=0.355, BCa CI [0.199-0.523]. In males a mediating effect of PD could be seen in the different models, while females had a more mixed result. IT did not show any indirect effect in males, but had a mixed effect for females. The empirical findings in this thesis lead to the conclusion that victimization is highly prevalent in children and youth and is related to health issues. The association of victimization on symptoms was mediated by peritraumatic reactions. Using a comprehensive instrument such as the JVQ provides the researcher or clinician the opportunity to acquire more complete measurement and also makes it possible to identify polyvictimization, a high-level category of events with severe impact on health.

Details: Linköping, Sweden: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Linköping University, 2016. 145p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 30, 2017 at: https://liu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1047437/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Sweden

URL: https://liu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1047437/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Shelf Number: 146036

Keywords:
Childhood Trauma
Juvenile Victims
Polyvictimization
Repeat Victimization
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Dowse, Leanne

Title: People with Complex Needs who are the Victims of Crime: Building evidence for responsive support

Summary: This project aimed to provide a detailed description of the nature and experience of crime victimisation for an identified group of people with complex needs in NSW, including those who have intellectual disability and mental health disorders and other co-occurring experiences of social disadvantage and who have been in the criminal justice system as offenders. Through interview and consultation with key organisations delivering services or representing the interests of this group, the project has also explored the current context of service delivery in NSW, identified key current challenges in providing responsive, appropriate and adequate support to this group and identified current gaps and innovative or best practice where it currently exists. The report provides context and background to the issue and draws on an already assembled unique source of linked data obtained from routine data collections from a range of service organisations in NSW on a cohort of 2731 people who have complex needs and who have been incarcerated in NSW. The People with Mental Health Disorders and Cognitive Disabilities (MHDCD) in the Criminal Justice System dataset www.mhdcd.unsw.edu.au allows both quantitative and qualitative descriptions of victimisation pathways and experiences. Outcomes of the analysis of the MHDCD dataset are provided here in the form of descriptive statistical analysis of the cohort as a whole, supported by selected case studies, which allow detailed illustration and nuanced observation of the ‘lived experience’ of victimisation for this group. Consultation and interviews were conducted with 21 individuals from organisations identified through an environmental scan as key stakeholders in providing services to this group or representing their interests in policy and practice. Key findings emerging from the descriptive statistical analysis suggest that victimisation is very common in the lives of people with complex needs who offend. The majority of the cohort (85%) has experienced at least one instance of being a victim and over half (65%) have been the victim of violent crime. Victimisation is more common among women, and those reporting a prior history of homelessness, those with a history of alcohol and drug use problems, intellectual disability, a mental health condition, an acquired brain injury and a history of serious mental illness such as schizophrenia. Analysis of violent victimisation identifies higher incidence for women, Aboriginal Australians, those with a history of homelessness and those who had experienced custody as a juvenile. Aboriginal Australians on average experience their first victimisation at a younger age than non-Aboriginal people. Analysis suggests that whilst the presence of any disability diagnosis is associated with high rates of victimisation, increasing levels of health complexity and need are associated with an increased risk of violent victimisation (54.6% of those with one diagnosis had been violently victimised compared to 71.8% of those with two diagnoses and 80.6% of those with three diagnoses, p<0.01). This indicates that it is not simply the presence of a disability that increases vulnerability to victimisation, but rather the interaction of multiple and compounding disability and social disadvantage operates to increase vulnerability to violence. Interestingly it was found that this pattern is reversed in relation to non-violent victimisation experiences, so that while having greater complexity in diagnoses makes individuals more likely to be a victim of violence, it appears to proportionally decrease the likelihood of non-violent victimisation. Analysis of service interactions for the cohort indicate that those who have received disability services at some point in their lives, those who have received Legal Aid, and are clients of Housing NSW experience higher levels of violent victimisation as compared to non-violent crime. Clients of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, and of its Community Justice Program, have particularly high rates of personal victimisation indicating that these services face challenges in dealing with their clients’ disability needs when they clearly occur in the context of a more complex life world characterised by high vulnerability to victimisation. Legal Aid clients similarly experience a disproportionately high incidence of victimisation, particularly of a violent nature, as do those who have tenancies with Housing NSW. Case study analysis illustrates the simultaneous and multiple processes of marginalisation experienced by people with complex needs. These can be seen to both create the context for their vulnerability to victimisation and to result in system and service responses which are limited, inadequate and often criminalising in and of themselves, such as the consequences of victimisation in out of home care settings. The significant impact of early victimisation experiences, especially sexual abuse and assault, can be seen in the life trajectories of the individual case studies presented. The impact of unstable early life and childhood experience of victimisation can be seen in the later teenage and early adult years of individual lives manifesting as vulnerabilities to their both experiencing and perpetrating further forms of violence, in particular in their adult domestic contexts. Also clearly illustrated is the vulnerability to harassment and victimisation associated with having a cognitive impairment where individuals are both subject to victimisation directly related to their disability and less able to respond in ways that do not escalate their victimisation. Similarly, the presence of cognitive impairment appears to lessen the chances lessen the chances of recognition, reporting and adequate redress such as reports not being taken seriously, appropriate support for disclosure not being available and the risks associated with disclosing victimisation within a care relationship on which an individual may be dependent. Key representative and service provider organisations identified through an initial environmental scan were approached for interview. The 21 individuals interviewed identified a range of significant issues which are currently seen to impact on policy and services for this group. Barriers to the provision of responsive and appropriate services for this group were identified by informants to include issues around a general lack of capacity of mainstream support services to cater to the needs of this group, poor communication and awareness of services that are available, low levels of identification and engagement of people with complex needs in services generally, restricted availability and accessibility of services and the reluctance of people with complex needs to engage who generally have had poor experiences with services in the past. Enablers for better responses were identified as service flexibility and accessibility, proactive and outreach service models which are skilled in the recognition, identification and assessment of victimisation and its impacts on those with complex needs. Key principles underpinning best practice in the area were identified as including inclusive and universal communication strategies for engaging individuals in services, a trauma informed care approach which is holistic, person-centred and premised on relationship and trust building as a foundation for addressing more complex issues of vulnerability to victimisation. Enhanced capacity in both specialist and mainstream provision would be enabled by the development of training and awareness of the connections between complex needs, offending and victimisation. An approach which is informed by a human rights framework which is community based and which premises prevention and early intervention was identified as foundational to enhancing capacity to provide responsive and appropriate support for those with complex needs who have or at are risk of being the victim of crime.

Details: Sydney: University of New South Wales, 2015. 82p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2017 at: http://www.victimsclearinghouse.nsw.gov.au/Documents/People_with_Complex_Needs_and_Crime_Victimsation_Final_Report_Jan_2015.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.victimsclearinghouse.nsw.gov.au/Documents/People_with_Complex_Needs_and_Crime_Victimsation_Final_Report_Jan_2015.pdf

Shelf Number: 141222

Keywords:
Disability
Victim Services
Victimization
Victims of Crime
Vulnerable Peoples
Vulnerable Victims

Author: Fuller, Georgina

Title: Returning to work after armed robbery in the workplace

Summary: Armed robbery exposes workers to serious harm in an environment where day-to-day safety is not normally a concern, and can have a wide range of negative consequences for employees. Victims may find it difficult to return to or cope at work. This research examined a sample of 93 victims of armed robbery in the workplace from the AIC's Database of Victimisation Experiences to determine what helped or hindered their return to work. The results are discussed in the context of enhancing how small businesses respond to and support victims of armed robbery in the workplace.

Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2017. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 529: Accessed March 23, 2017 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi529.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi529.pdf

Shelf Number: 144563

Keywords:
Armed Robbery
Crimes Against Businesses
Fear of Crime
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Workplace Crime
Workplace Violence

Author: McGarrell, Edmund F.

Title: Saginaw Community Survey: Patterns of Victimization and Methodological Experiments: Technical Report

Summary: With the support of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Michigan Justice Statistics Center conducted a survey of residents of Saginaw, Michigan as a way of learning about the victimization experiences as well as the perceptions of residents about their neighborhoods and the police. The survey employed a randomly selected, address-based sample of Saginaw residents. Multiple methods of survey administration were used resulting in a final sample of 829 completed surveys. In addition to greater understanding of resident's victimization experiences and perceptions, the survey also tested several different strategies intended to increase response rates and to increase the number of respondents completing the survey through more cost-efficient web-based survey technology. The current technical report presents details on the survey methodology as well as basic findings on levels of household and personal victimization. It also presents the results of the embedded methodological experiments. A series of articles and reports will follow this report and present in greater detail the findings in terms of victimization experience as well as perceptions of crime, the neighborhood, and the police. Among the key findings presented in this report are the following: • There were no differences in households from the more affluent west side of Saginaw and those on the east side in terms of violent crime victimization. This was unexpected given that neighborhood levels of economic disadvantage typically result in higher levels of violent crime victimization. This will be examined in greater detail in future analyses of the survey results. • West side households reported higher levels of property crime victimization. • Households headed by someone described as white had slightly higher levels of victimization than households headed by someone described as black. The results should be interpreted cautiously, however, due to a modest number of households where this information was missing or classified as "other." • Rental households were more likely to experience victimization in comparison to owner-occupied households. • Men were more likely to experience violent and property crime victimization. Women were more likely to experience sexual assault. • Consistent with the household findings, whites were slightly more likely to report being victimized than were blacks. Caution in interpreting these findings is suggested, however, because the group most likely to report being victimized reported their race as "other." • Overall, Saginaw residents were much more likely to prefer completing the survey through a paper and pencil mail survey. This is the least cost-efficient mode for conducting this type of survey. The embedded experiment suggested that presenting the survey options in varying ways and providing an incentive-based "nudge" to complete the survey on the web can increase the number of respondents utilizing the more cost-efficient web-based technology.

Details: East Lansing: Michigan State University, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan Justice Statistics Center, 2016. 91p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 27, 2017 at: http://www.jrsa.org/member-spotlight/files/mi-saginaw-victimization.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://www.jrsa.org/member-spotlight/files/mi-saginaw-victimization.pdf

Shelf Number: 144849

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Neighborhoods and Crime
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Buitrago, Katie

Title: Cycle of Risk: The Intersection of Poverty, Violence and Trauma

Summary: People living in poverty are more likely to become victims of violent crime than higher income earners whether they live in cities, suburbs or rural areas, but the rural poor experience crime at higher rates, according to a Wednesday report by a Chicago research group. Chicago is currently facing a devastating surge in lethal violence in addition to staggering rates of poverty across Illinois. Policymakers and community leaders are struggling with finding short- and long-term solutions to stem the violence and allow neighborhoods to heal. In the meantime, communities are fearing for their own safety and grieving over lost parents, children, friends, and leaders every day. The stakes for getting the solutions right could not be higher. Poverty and violence often intersect, feed one another, and share root causes. Neighborhoods with high levels of violence are also characterized by high levels of poverty, lack of adequate public services and educational opportunity, poorer health outcomes, asset and income inequality, and more. The underlying socioeconomic conditions in these neighborhoods perpetuate both violence and poverty. Furthermore, trauma can result from both violence and poverty. Unaddressed trauma worsens quality of life, makes it hard to rise out of poverty by posing barriers to success at school and work, and raises the likelihood of aggressive behavior. In this way, untreated trauma - coupled with easy gun availability and other factors - feeds the cycle of poverty and violence. In last year's Report on Illinois Poverty: Racism's Toll (2016), we explored the persistent inequity caused by racially discriminatory policies and practices. Many of those themes are critically important to this discussion as well, especially given how the American justice system has been used to systemically deny opportunities and rights to people of color. A past and living legacy of segregation and the perpetuation of racial inequity today have led people and communities of color to experience poverty at higher rates than whites. The harmful policies and practices explored in last year's report have stripped resources and opportunities from many of the communities that are grappling with violence today. Through this report we make the case that, in addition to rapid responses, we must also take a long-term approach to reducing violence. The causes of violence are complex, systemic, and long-standing - and we must take a comprehensive approach to address them effectively. Importantly, we must be cautious that efforts at short- or long-term reform do not perpetuate the very inequities and conditions that have led to violence in our communities.

Details: Chicago: Heartland Alliance, 2017. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2017 at: https://www.heartlandalliance.org/research/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/03/CycleofRisk2017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://www.heartlandalliance.org/research/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/03/CycleofRisk2017.pdf

Shelf Number: 144724

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Homicides
Neighborhoods and Crime
Poverty
Racial Discrimination
Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
Victims of Crime
Violent Crime

Author: Center for Schools and Communities

Title: Restitution in Pennsylvania: Task Force Final Report

Summary: In October 2011, the Office of the Victim Advocate convened the Restitution in Pennsylvania Task Force. This Task Force served as a forum for enhancing interagency coordination, increasing communication, and identifying solutions to increase the quality of restitution services at the state and county levels. The Task Force brought together relevant county and state level stakeholders and experts including individuals, agencies and organizations engaged in victim restitution work, as well as representatives of the judicial, legislative and administrative branches of government. Seeking to maximize the reimbursement of financial losses to crime victims, the Task Force worked within the context of restorative justice theory and practice: balancing the needs of victims, the community and offenders. The Task Force was charged with crafting recommendations which would enhance the criminal and juvenile justice systems' effectiveness through possible standardization of policies and protocols concerning the ordering, collection and disbursement of restitution. To this end, the Task Force was able to complete the following: 1. Examined restitution laws, rules, and policy in the criminal and juvenile systems across the Commonwealth. 2. Examined research, white papers and scholarly articles relative to victim restitution which identify national best practices and promising programs. 3. Examined existing restitution processes currently in place in the commonwealth to identify best practices and promising programs. 4. Created Subcommittees to explore underlying issues in greater depth, which reported their findings/recommendations to the Task Force. 5. Compiled recommendations into a final report for submission to the courts, the legislature and the Governor�s administration. I n October 2011, the Office of the Victim Advocate convened the Restitution in Pennsylvania Task Force. This Task Force served as a forum for enhancing interagency coordination, increasing communication, and identifying solutions to increase the quality of restitution services at the state and county levels. The Task Force brought together relevant county and state level stakeholders and experts including individuals, agencies and organizations engaged in victim restitution work, as well as representatives of the judicial, legislative and administrative branches of government. Seeking to maximize the reimbursement of financial losses to crime victims, the Task Force worked within the context of restorative justice theory and practice: balancing the needs of victims, the community and offenders. The Task Force was charged with crafting recommendations which would enhance the criminal and juvenile justice systems' effectiveness through possible standardization of policies and protocols concerning the ordering, collection and disbursement of restitution. To this end, the Task Force was able to complete the following: 1. Examined restitution laws, rules, and policy in the criminal and juvenile systems across the Commonwealth. 2. Examined research, white papers and scholarly articles relative to victim restitution which identify national best practices and promising programs. 3. Examined existing restitution processes currently in place in the commonwealth to identify best practices and promising programs. 4. Created Subcommittees to explore underlying issues in greater depth, which reported their findings/recommendations to the Task Force. 5. Compiled recommendations into a final report for submission to the courts, the legislature and the Governor's administration.

Details: Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Office of the Victim Advocate, 2013. 284p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2017 at: http://www.center-school.org/Restitution/pdf/Restitution_Taskforce_Full_Report.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.center-school.org/Restitution/pdf/Restitution_Taskforce_Full_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 145174

Keywords:
Restitution
Restorative Justice
Victims of Crime

Author: Sutton, Heather

Title: Restoring Paradise in the Caribbean: Combatting Violence with Numbers

Summary: Crime and violence are serious obstacles to long-term growth and development. They lead to injury and the loss of human life, erode confidence in government, reduce the competitiveness of industries and services, negatively alter the investment climate, contribute to emigration, and can lead to the loss of skilled and educated citizens. Consequently, improving citizen security has become a priority of the Inter-American Development Bank in its efforts to support the governments and citizens of Latin America and the Caribbean. While citizen security has become an ever-increasing concern for many Caribbean countries, the magnitude of the problem has not been matched with an equally robust response in terms of research. Cross-national studies on the prevalence, causes, and effects of violence in the region are few. Empirical studies showing which policies have worked to reduce crime in the Caribbean are even scarcer. This volume analyses new data collected in household and business victimization surveys. These surveys allow us to understand crime from a primary source - the victims themselves. As such, this study goes beyond much of the existing literature, which relies primarily on police data. It contributes new information to our understanding of crime patterns, victim profiles, determinants of particular types of crime, and directions for crime reduction in the region. While the crime situation varies among countries, broadly speaking the Caribbean suffers from uniquely high levels of violent crime. After providing an overview of crime in five Caribbean capital cities, this volume addresses several factors associated with violent crime. These include youth, violence against women and children, neighbourhood characteristics, gangs, guns, and the police and criminal justice systems. The cost of this crime and violence to the Caribbean - about 3 percent of GDP - is significant. The study finds that victimization has negative ramifications for businesses, economic growth, tourism arrivals, emigration, and life satisfaction. However, perhaps the most unique aspect of this study is that it has been written with the specific intention of informing policy and programme design. The authors' optimism, and ours, about the potential to restore paradise in the Caribbean rests on the growing base of evidence on what we have already learned about crime prevention worldwide. The authors recognize the gaps in knowledge and data collection that exist in the Caribbean, but wisely argue that countries need not wait for further studies to begin to reduce violence. Making use of the risk and protective factors identified here, policymakers can adapt evidence-based programmes that have been successful in other settings, while monitoring and evaluating their results in the Caribbean context. There is much work in the region that is promising and much that is ineffective. This report helps to identify both, and urges that rigorous evaluations of the more promising programmes be conducted. National strategies should include policies and interventions based on sound knowledge of what actually works, and not on what might or should work.

Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2017. 311p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 27, 2017 at: https://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/8262/Restoring-Paradise-in-the-Caribbean-Combatting-Violence-With-Numbers.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Year: 2017

Country: Caribbean

URL: https://publications.iadb.org/bitstream/handle/11319/8262/Restoring-Paradise-in-the-Caribbean-Combatting-Violence-With-Numbers.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 145823

Keywords:
Crime Prevention
Crime Statistics
Victimization Surveys
Victims of Crime
Violence Prevention
Violent Crime

Author: Bryant, Willow

Title: Homicide in Australia 2012-13 to 2013-14: National Homicide Monitoring Program report

Summary: In the 25th year of the National Homicide Monitoring Program (NHMP) data collection, this report describes the nature and context of homicides that occurred in financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14, and trends in homicide victimisation and offending since 1989-90. Although much of the data are presented in the aggregate, certain figures for each financial year are provided to aid the monitoring of trends. Ongoing monitoring of homicide locates short-term changes within a longer timeframe, and allows policymakers and law enforcement personnel to identify changes in risk markers associated with incidents, victims and offenders. The overall number of homicide incidents continues to decline. In 2013-14, the homicide incident rate reached a historical low of one per 100,000 people since the NHMP data collection began in 1989-90. This report's key findings include: - from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2014, there were 487 homicide incidents - 249 in 2012-13 and 238 in 2013-14; - these incidents involved 512 victims and 549 offenders - 264 victims and 276 offenders in 2012-13 and 248 victims and 273 offenders in 2013-14; - since 1989-90, homicide incident rates have decreased from 1.8 per 100,000 to 1.1 in 2012-13, and again to one in 2013-14; - males remain over-represented as both victims (n=328; 64%) and offenders (n=483; 88%); - in 2013-14, males were victimised at the rate of 1.3 per 100,000, the lowest rate recorded since 1989-90 (2.5 per 100,000). The rate of female victimisation was 0.8 per 100,000 in 2013-14; - knives continue to be the most commonly used weapon, with 37 percent (n=89) of all homicide incidents in 2013-14 involving knives or sharp instruments; - during the 2012-14 period, approximately a fifth (n=69; 14%) of homicide incidents involved the use of a firearm. This is a decrease of 11 percent in the use of firearms in homicide incidents since 1989-90 (n=76; 25%), and a decrease of one percent since 2011-12; - in 2012-14, the most common relationship between a homicide offender and a victim was a domestic relationship (41%; n=200), followed by an acquaintance (27%; n=133). Thirteen percent (n=62) of homicide incidents were stranger homicides (which includes homicide incidents involving those known to each other for less than 24 hours); - of the 200 domestic homicide incidents recorded in 2012-14, 63 percent (n=126) were classified as intimate partner homicides, 15 percent as filicides (n=30, 14 of which involved the death of a child under one year of age), 11 percent as parricides (n=21), eight percent as other family (n=16; includes aunts/uncles, in-laws, cousins etc) and four percent as siblicides (n=7); - females continue to be over-represented as victims of intimate partner homicide (n=99; 79%), while males are still over-represented as victims of acquaintance (83%; n=116) and stranger homicide (92%; n=58); - 42 children aged 17 years and younger were killed in 2012-14; - 78 victims (46 males and 32 females) and 91 offenders (75 males and 16 females) in 2012� 14 were Indigenous Australians. Indigenous people remain over-represented as both victims of homicide and homicide offenders. At a national level, the rate of Indigenous victimisation in 2013-14 (4.9 per 100,000) was approximately five times higher than non-Indigenous victimisation (0.9 per 100,000); - eight in ten homicide incidents were not committed in the course of another crime (n=408; 84%). A fifth of homicide incidents where a precipitating crime was known and recorded were committed during the course of another crime, such as a break and enter (n=15; 19%), robbery (n=14; 18%), other violent crime (n=11; 14%) or sexual assault (n=10; 13%); and - a fifth of offenders had a prior history of domestic violence (n=106; 19%) or mental illness (n=70; 13%) at the time of the homicide incident.

Details: Canberra:: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2017. 88p.

Source: Internet Resource: AIC Statistical Report 02: Accessed June 20, 2017 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/sr/sr002.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/sr/sr002.pdf

Shelf Number: 146296

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Homicides
Murders
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Great Britain. HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate

Title: Living in fear - the police and CPS response to harassment and stalking

Summary: Harassment and stalking are crimes of persistence. It is the unrelenting repeat behaviour by the perpetrator experienced in its totality, which seems inescapable and inevitable, that has such a detrimental effect on the victim. The actions in themselves may seem unremarkable, and this may partly explain why some victims suffer repeat behaviour over a prolonged period before reporting it to police, or do not report it at all. Harassment and stalking can often also be crimes of control. This is particularly the case when the victimisation is associated with a current or previous controlling and coercive relationship. A report by Dr Lorraine Sheridan and the Network for Surviving Stalking, in which 829 victims of stalking were surveyed, found that the victims were aged between 10 and 73. Men and women from all backgrounds were affected and many were professionals (38 percent). Dr Sheridan concluded that almost anyone can become a victim of stalking. In this inspection, we used the term stalking for behaviour that constituted harassment and where the perpetrator appeared to be fixated and/or obsessed with another. There are many links between harassment and stalking, including the legislation itself. However, we found that the police and the CPS frequently struggled to separate the two offences. We found that stalking in particular was misunderstood by the police and the CPS. As a result, it often went unrecognised. The police sometimes mis-recorded stalking offences, or worse, did not record them at all. Prosecutors on occasions missed opportunities to charge stalking offences, instead preferring other offences, particularly harassment. We also found that the absence of a single accepted, consistent definition of stalking is a very significant contributory factor to the unacceptably low number of recorded crimes and prosecutions. It is also one of the main reasons that police officers, staff and prosecutors gave us varying interpretations of stalking. The result for victims was that offences were not dealt with appropriately by using stalking-specific powers (for example, the power to search premises and seize evidence). Incidents of victimisation were dealt with as isolated cases and were not treated seriously or quickly enough, and victims were left at risk. In some cases, the charges did not reflect the seriousness of the offending.

Details: London: HMIC, 2017. 114p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 29, 2017 at: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/living-in-fear-the-police-and-cps-response-to-harassment-and-stalking.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/living-in-fear-the-police-and-cps-response-to-harassment-and-stalking.pdf

Shelf Number: 146604

Keywords:
Harassment
Stalking
Victims of Crime

Author: Victorian Law Reform Commission

Title: Family Violence and the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 1996: Consultation Paper

Summary: In December 2016 the Attorney-General asked the Commission to review the provision of state-funded financial assistance to victims of family violence under the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 1996. This consultation paper provides information about the current operation of the Act and asks a number of questions. The Commission would like to hear the views of the public on what changes should be made to the Act to better assist victims of family violence to rebuild their lives and recover. The Commission has been asked to review and report on: the eligibility test and whether it should be expanded; whether the amount of compensation awarded reflects the cumulative impact of family violence; the requirement to notify perpetrators; and the matters giving rise to refusal of application.

Details: Melbourne: The Commission, 2017. 219p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 28, 2017 at: http://lawreform.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/VLRC_Family_Violence_and_VOCAA_consultation_paper_web.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://lawreform.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/VLRC_Family_Violence_and_VOCAA_consultation_paper_web.pdf

Shelf Number: 146915

Keywords:
Family Violence
Victim Services
Victims of crime

Author: Wendt, Sarah

Title: Seeking help for domestic and family violence: Exploring regional, rural, and remote women's coping experiences: Final report

Summary: This report presents the results of a qualitative study examining the experiences of women seeking help for domestic and family violence who live in regional, rural, and remote areas in Australia. The study contributes to the limited evidence on how geographical and social isolation shapes women's coping with and decisions to seek assistance for domestic and family violence, and their efforts to live safely.

Details: Sydney: Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Limited (ANROWS), 2017. 78p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research report: Accessed October 3, 2017 at: http://apo.org.au/system/files/106901/apo-nid106901-430811.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://apo.org.au/system/files/106901/apo-nid106901-430811.pdf

Shelf Number: 147532

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Family Violence
Intimate Partner Violence
Rural Areas
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Perreault, Samuel

Title: Criminal victimization in the territories, 2014

Summary: More than one-quarter of residents of the territories (28%) reported being the victim of at least one crime in 2014. This was down from the proportion reported in 2009 (34%), but remains higher than the figure reported in the provinces (18%). Both violent victimization (-29%) and household victimization (-34%) decreased from 2009. However, the rate of theft of personal property remained stable. Nunavut recorded the highest rates of both violent victimization (241E per 1,000 population) and household victimization (313 per 1,000 population) among the territories. On the other hand, this territory also reported the lowest rate of theft of personal property (68E per 1,000 population). Overall, the proportion of people who reported being the victim of at least one crime was higher in communities with a population of 2,000 or more (32%) than in smaller communities (19%). Approximately one-third of residents of the territories (34%) reported having been the victim of abuse by an adult at least once before the age of 15. This proportion was higher among those aged 45 to 64 years (45%) than those aged 15 to 34 years (26%). Among those with a spouse or common-law partner (current or ex), 12% reported at least one spousal violence incident in the preceding five years, similar to the proportion reported in 2009. Three-quarters (75%) of victims were Aboriginal. Consistent with data in the provinces, Aboriginal identity was not associated with an increased risk of violent victimization when other risk factors were taken into account. Approximately one-half (49%) of victims of spousal violence reported sustaining injuries due to the violence. This proportion was higher than the proportion observed in the provinces (31%). Almost half (49%) of cases of spousal violence were reported to the police, and so were 36% of victimization incidents other than spousal violence. About one-third (34%) of females in the territories reported feeling very safe walking alone at night, compared with almost two-thirds (62%) of males. Over one-third of territorial residents (36%) reported having a great deal of confidence in the police. Aboriginal residents were less likely to report having a great deal of confidence in the police compared to non-Aboriginal residents (30% compared with 43%, respectively).

Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2016. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Juristat: Accessed November 3, 2017 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14470-eng.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14470-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 147986

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Victim Support Europe

Title: Operating Networks for Victim Support Services

Summary: The present report is looking into two examples - those of Finland and France, of how to organise comprehensive victim support services at the national level. Both countries were chosen based on findings of previous research carried out under the MDTF JSS, Analysis of victims' rights and services in Serbia and their alignment with EU Directive 2012/29/EU. That research showed in particular that Serbia had some level of existing infrastructure for the delivery of victim services. Though many of these were focused on specific groups of victims, a number had indicated an interest to widen the scope of their activities. At the same time, the Serbian State had indicated that where possible they wanted to use existing resources, rather than create an wholly new system, which would be an inefficient and non-inclusive approach. Both France and Finland are examples of long and well established national services, meeting criteria in the EU Victims Directive which used existing infrastructures and organisations to deliver a national system.

Details: Brussels: Victim Support Europe, 2017. 76p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 4, 2017 at: http://victimsupport.eu/activeapp/wp-content/files_mf/1506075235WB_networkoperationsreport_final.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Europe

URL: http://victimsupport.eu/activeapp/wp-content/files_mf/1506075235WB_networkoperationsreport_final.pdf

Shelf Number: 148031

Keywords:
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Wilson, Dean

Title: The Station Study Report. Victoria Police and Victims of Crime: police perspectives and experiences from across Victoria

Summary: This report presents the findings gathered from interviews with over 200 operational Victoria Police members. For the first time this research details police attitudes and practices in relation to seeking to provide support to victims of crime while also meeting the other demands and obligations required by their role as serving Victoria Police officers. The findings and recommendations presented in this report are focused upon recognising much of the work and practice that occurs across Victoria on a daily basis that goes largely unrecognised by Victoria Police and the Victorian community more generally, as much of the good work done by police is rarely seen or acknowledged. The release of these findings is particularly timely, only a few years after the implementation of the Victims' Charter, at a point at which Victoria Police and the Victorian community can reflect upon the extent to which service delivery standards have translated into best practice. There is significant innovation and work being undertaken in community-specific ways across Victoria in relation to victim support. There are also a range of areas in which practices and processes that have recently been implemented require rethinking in light of the lived experience of police officers working on the ground to implement these practices and protocols. The recommendations proposed in this report reflect the findings of our research and are intended to contribute towards enhancing and enriching police-victim interaction and victim experiences of the criminal justice system more generally.

Details: Clayton, Vic. Faculty of Arts, Monash University, 2011. 124p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 27, 2017 at: http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/gender-and-family-violence/files/2016/04/The-Station-Study-Final-Report-2.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: Australia

URL: http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/gender-and-family-violence/files/2016/04/The-Station-Study-Final-Report-2.pdf

Shelf Number: 148502

Keywords:
Police-Citizen Interactions
Police-Community Relations
Policing
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Vasquez, Amanda L.

Title: Victim need report: Service providers' perspectives on the needs of crime victims and service gaps

Summary: This report presents research findings on victim needs and gaps in services as described by victim service providers serving victims of crime in Illinois. Victim service providers (N = 235) from all regions of the state responded to an online survey and a subset of providers (N = 28) also participated in focus groups. The findings in this report draw from these quantitative survey data and qualitative focus group data, as well as administrative data. Victim service providers identified various victim needs. These needs can be categorized in three ways: fundamental needs, presenting needs, or accompanying needs. Fundamental needs correspond to victims' basic needs, and include shelter, food, and utility services, as well as assistance with life skills, such as education, employment, or housing assistance. Victim services that address victims' presenting needs include mental health care and counseling, medical care, longer term housing and relocation assistance, legal assistance, and substance use disorder treatment. Lastly, accompanying needs, or the need for translation services, transportation assistance, child care, and case management, impact a victim's ability to access services to meet fundamental and presenting needs. Accompanying needs facilitate access to services that seek to satisfy either fundamental or presenting needs, and, thus, are necessary support services. Victim service providers also highlighted service gaps, or ways in which current service availability was unable to satisfy victim need. Services gaps were either programmatic, where need exceeded a provider's ability to serve victims, or geographic, a lack of services in a particular area. Programmatic gaps included a lack of housing options, both emergency shelter and longer term services, mental health and counseling services, legal assistance, substance abuse treatment, translation services, transportation assistance, and child care. Gaps in emergency shelter services were particularly pronounced for victims of sexual assault and human trafficking, and for older crime victims, whereas children, their parents, and juvenile justice involved youth often have limited mental health and counseling service options. Geographic gaps centered on providers' limited ability to offer expanded or specialized medical, mental health or legal services; this gap was more pronounced in rural areas. Other gaps, such as unmet needs for substance abuse treatment, translation services, transportation assistance, and child care were present throughout the state, regardless of region or county type (i.e., urban vs. rural). The findings in this report have important implications for funders, victim service providers, and other social service providers who have contact with victims. Victim service providers, funders, and others should continue to prioritize services that address fundamental and presenting victim needs as these address basic needs, as well as safety and security needs. Also, to facilitate access to services steps should be taken to meet victim accompanying needs. Funders and providers are encouraged to develop a comprehensive plan to address services gaps that is responsive to both current and evolving victim need, and to coordinate services across providers in a way that best matches victim need with provider specialization. Lastly, victim service delivery and funding can benefit from efforts to engage victims and the broader community, where victims are empowered to share their voice and community members can advocate for larger structural change alongside victims and their families, providers, and others.

Details: Chicago, IL: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2017. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 29, 2017 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/ICJIA_Victim_service_provider_Needs.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/ICJIA_Victim_service_provider_Needs.pdf

Shelf Number: 148530

Keywords:
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Inspection

Title: Hate Crime: An Inspection of the Criminal Justice System's Response to Hate Crime in Northern Ireland

Summary: In Northern Ireland during 2016, there were over eight hate incidents reported to the police every single day. These equated to almost six (5.94) recorded hate crimes. When population is considered, this figure is higher than the equivalent rate in England and Wales (5.47) . Hate incidents are greatly underreported so the true rate of incidents perpetrated against people because they are perceived to be different in some way is much higher. Turning attitudes into behaviour, such as violence, based on skin colour, sexual identity, age, religion, nationality and other features used to label people is plainly wrong but not uncommon. This report looked into how hate crime in Northern Ireland was dealt with across the justice system. The statistics used to illustrate the report were those outlining hate crime reported during the 2015-16 financial year. Findings The prevalence and impacts of hate crime cannot be dealt with by the criminal justice system in isolation. Organisations within the system had worked together to align approaches and apply standard definitions in an effort to ensure a seamless service to victims. The Unite against Hate project and the Hate Crime Delivery Group (HCDG) had been instrumental in sharing practices across and beyond the criminal justice system itself. Organisations should ensure their continued support of these groups by committing staff at the appropriate level to attend group meetings. The Department of Justice (DoJ) approach to hate crime was contained within its Community Safety Strategy but there were no effective links to an overarching Northern Ireland Executive policy, such as 'Together: Building United Communities' (T:BUC) which would provide leadership at the highest level of government. The legislative approach to hate crime was not directly comparable across the United Kingdom (UK). A review of hate crime legislation in Northern Ireland would establish whether changes are required. England and Wales had statutory hate crimes of assault and damage, enhanced sentencing powers and relevant public order offences. In Scotland, there was a statutory obligation for hate crime cases to be opened and recorded as such in court. Most reports of hate crime forwarded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for prosecution decisions were in the 'aggravated by hostility' category with only a small number of the statutory public order hate crimes reported. Most criminal justice organisations had developed hate crime strategies, supported by internal governance arrangements. However, the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) and Youth Justice Agency (YJA) did not have hate crime specific strategies. Underreporting was acknowledged by the criminal justice organisations. Systems and process improvements by the police and prosecution service, outreach work and the support of hate crime advocates meant that knowledge among vulnerable communities of how and what to report had increased. However, not all potential victims engaged with support networks and victims spoken to by Inspectors identified many incidents which went unreported. This distorted the true picture of hate incidents and potentially impacted the effectiveness of police responses. Interpreter services were readily available and there was no suggestion that the standard of interpreters was an issue. However, investigation of hate crime required precise legal and technical language. No specific work had been undertaken with interpreter services to enhance skills specific to translating for hate crime, which added to the already high number of substantial barriers facing victims. The quality of hate crime files forwarded by the PSNI to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS) had been recognised as an area for improvement but enhanced measures to tackle this had not been operating long enough to assess their effectiveness at the time of inspection. Court recording of instances of enhanced sentencing had improved. However, there remained a risk that in busy Magistrates' and Youth Courts, the recording of enhanced sentences would be missed. The number of perpetrators receiving prison sentences was low. Support for victims of hate crime, following court cases rested mainly with the voluntary and community sector. Expansion of the hate crime advocacy service to include supporting victims at this stage would provide a more holistic service which may help improve future reporting rates. The NIPS used a generalist approach, supported by its anti-bullying policy, to deal with incidents of hate crime. This made it difficult to determine the extent of hate crime being perpetrated within the prison environment. The Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) had established a programme, Accepting Differences, following a pilot scheme. Numbers undertaking the programme were low, but Inspectors regarded the development as a positive one, challenging offenders' stereotypical attitudes and behaviour. Victims' views on how offenders were dealt with were generally based on their wish for the offending behaviour to be stopped. Victims were focused on the prevention of further instances of hate crime and favoured restorative approaches, such as education on the benefits of cultural and other differences. Inspectors believe that this will only be achieved when a hate crime strategy, becomes an integral part of an overall Northern Ireland Executive social cohesion strategy, robustly led and monitored using outcome based accountability measures.

Details: Belfast: Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, 2017. 56p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 18, 2018 at: http://www.cjini.org/getattachment/a48b8a89-f32f-4b02-bd3c-8f77989630eb/picture.aspx

Year: 2017

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cjini.org/getattachment/a48b8a89-f32f-4b02-bd3c-8f77989630eb/picture.aspx

Shelf Number: 148861

Keywords:
Bias
Crime Statistics
Hate Crimes
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Rozo, Sandra

Title: Deportation, Crime, and Victimization

Summary: We study whether the forced removal of undocumented immigrants from the United States increases crime and victimization in Mexican municipalities. Using individual and municipal panel data on victimization, safety perceptions, and violent crime matched with annual deportation flows from the United States to Mexico, we assess whether municipalities and individuals in closer proximity to geographic repatriation points experience higher crime and perceived insecurity with surges in deportation flows. We also assess the degree to which victimization is concentrated on repatriated immigrants themselves. We find that individuals with greater geographic exposure to deportation flows have a higher likelihood of being victims of robberies and also experience lower perceived personal safety. Deportees themselves are most likely to be the victims not perpetrators of crime.

Details: Unpublished paper, 2016. 47p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2833484

Year: 2016

Country: Latin America

URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2833484

Shelf Number: 149313

Keywords:
Deportation
Immigrants and Crime
Immigration Enforcement
Migration
Undocumented Immigrants
Victims of Crime

Author: End Rape on Campus Australia

Title: Connecting the dots: Understanding sexual assault in university communities

Summary: The following report is the result of End Rape on Campus Australia's extensive experience working with and advocating for student survivors of sexual assault. We believe that everyone has a right to an education free from sexual violence and that educational institutions have the responsibility of addressing sexual assault within their communities, both at the level of primary prevention, as well as through providing quality, trauma-informed services and pathways for reporting incidents of sexual assault. In this submission, we provide an overview of the problem of sexual assault at tertiary educational institutions in Australia, including the nature and extent of the issue, the obstacles a survivor may face when reporting and accessing support, and the historical context of universities' failure to respond to this issue. We have made a number of recommendations for change both at individual universities, and at the level of State and Federal Governments, to address the ongoing problem of sexual assault in university communities. The nature and extent of sexual assault within university communities At present, there is little reliable data on sexual assault prevalence rates at Australian universities, however national statistics show that young women in general are at a significantly greater risk of experiencing sexual assault than any other group of people. Recent media cases and data obtained through FOI investigations indicate that sexual assault and harassment is occurring at concerning rates at Australian universities and colleges. Attitudes which minimise sexual assault, shift blame onto victims or normalise non-consensual activity create a climate in which sexual assault is both more likely to occur, and less likely to be recognised and reported. We note that the perpetrators of sexual assault are overwhelmingly male, reflecting the gendered nature of sexual assault as a crime of power and control. In many instances, rape occurs off campus, in domestic settings such as share-houses, apartments, house parties, and so on. Although many universities restrict their attention to incidents which have occurred on campus, EROC Australia believes that this distinction is artificial. All instances of sexual assault experienced by a student have the potential to affect their ability to study and to participate in the university community regardless of where the assault took place. In this section, we also outline the role of witnesses and responders to acts of sexual assault, including friends of the victim, tutors, Residential Advisors and student representatives. There is an overarching lack of training and support for these supporters, creating a real risk of vicarious trauma. We provide several de-identified case studies from our work, illustrating common responses to sexual assault in university communities. The aftermath of rape: survivor needs in the wake of sexual assault Survivors often have a range of complex needs after experiencing sexual assault. In many cases, these needs are not met by the systems in place at universities for responding to requests for support. Part of the problem is the lack of a holistic approach to supporting survivors. Sexual assault can cause not only psychological and medical issues, but also financial stress, difficulty with academic tasks, the need for legal support, and housing issues, amongst others. In many cases, universities fail to make the connection between these needs and a student's experience of sexual assault. Even whereuniversities do endeavour to provide for some of these needs - for example, by referring students to oncampus counselling services - these services are often inaccessible and not specialised for responding to trauma. In particular, survivors have faced difficulties accessing the support they need with academic tasks, such as extensions or special considerations for assignments, time off from lectures or class, and changes to timetabling arrangements. Strict requirements for particular documentation, or automated systems that frequently reject applications, can cause significant anxiety for survivors. On-campus counselling services pose another problem. These services are often understaffed or underfunded, and many lack counselling staff with trauma specialist training, leading to some survivors receiving improper, and at times dangerous, treatment. Understanding the history and context of responses to sexual assault at Australian universities Sexual assault is not a new issue at Australian universities - student activists have been urging universities to address sexual violence for many decades. However, little progress has been made in improving policies, services and structures for reporting sexual violence. The overarching problem with universities' collective failure to address sexual violence is the conceptualisation of the problem as primarily a private concern or a woman's responsibility. Incidents of sexual assault are treated as rare, disconnected and random, rather than the inevitable product of a social context with deep-rooted and persistent gender inequality. This attitude leads to university campaigns that perpetuate various rape myths - for example, the misleading 'stranger danger' narrative leads to suggestions that better lighting on campus would reduce sexual assault. In many cases, universities seem to believe an adequate response to the prevalence of sexual assault is to publish 'safety tips' that urge women to modify their behaviour to avoid being sexually assaulted and perpetuate the idea that women hold responsibility for their own safety. Notably, such strategies fail to make perpetrators accountable for sexual assault. Universities also tend to conceptualise sexual assault as always, and only, a police matter. Many university websites urge survivors to report their experiences to police. Commonly, survivors are told that the university cannot take action unless the incident has been reported to police, or until a criminal conviction is secured. However, universities do in fact have disciplinary and misconduct procedures, which give university officials the power to investigate student misconduct, make findings, and deliver penalties. These procedures can provide important pathways of restitution for survivors, and can ideally deliver practical outcomes to support a survivor's welfare, such as removing the perpetrator from a class or from campus. Contrary to much university rhetoric, most university decision-making procedures are also supported by longstanding principles of administrative law, which acknowledge and regulate decision-making by nonjudicial bodies and provide protections for both survivors and alleged perpetrators. Barriers and challenges to reporting sexual assault within university communities There are many reasons that survivors may not choose to disclose their assault, whether informally, to friends and family, or formally, to professional support services, to the police or to their university. Barriers to informal reporting include emotional barriers, such as the fear of not being believed, as well as social, cultural, linguistic and structural barriers. There are also many obstacles to formally reporting instances of sexual assault - for example, inaccessible or poorly publicised reporting systems or a lack of trust in institutional procedures.

Details: s.l.: End Rape on Campus Australia, 2017. 69p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2018 at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5762fc04f5e231826f09afae/t/58b3d08ddb29d6e7a2b8271d/1488179368580/Connecting+the+dots.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5762fc04f5e231826f09afae/t/58b3d08ddb29d6e7a2b8271d/1488179368580/Connecting+the+dots.pdf

Shelf Number: 149314

Keywords:
Campus Crime
Campus Rape
Colleges and Universities
Rape
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence
Victim Services
Victims of Crime

Author: Aidoo, Davina

Title: Hidden hurts, healing from within: restorative justice for victims and convicted offenders in Bermuda

Summary: This thesis sought to explore how restorative justice (RJ) could be implemented into the Bermuda Department of Corrections using action research. The aim was to explore how RJ can work for victims and incarcerated offenders in Bermuda in regards to the potential for reduction of harm, increasing empathy and as an addition to the existing CJS. Training was provided and partnerships established with the Bermuda Police Service and Prison Fellowship Bermuda for the specific purpose of the initiative. Phase-one involved the introduction of two prerequisite programmes (Victim Empathy and the Sycamore Tree) that offenders were invited to voluntarily participate in. Respectively, one programme delivered by Corrections staff and consisting of only prisoners and the other delivered by Prison Fellowship facilitators and involving 16 surrogate victim-participants. A mixed-method approach was used to examine impact and process. These included questionnaires pre and post the phase-one programmes and the CRIME-PICS II psychometric to assess attitudinal change, participatory and non-participatory observations and a focus group. Both programmes increased the offenders' empathy while the Sycamore Tree programme involving participants from the community, helped create further positive attitudinal change on the main scales measured by the CRIME-PICS II. 93% of the Sycamore Tree victim-participants were 'very satisfied' overall and 'would definitely' recommend the programme to others. Qualitative findings indicated victim healing, with some referring to a sense of closure and forgiveness for themselves and the offender. The second-phase introduced RJ conferencing, two conferences were held and the experience of participants was again very positive. The offenders considered trained conference facilitators from the Police and Corrections as being impartial. Overall benefits for both parties (offenders and victims) indicated a promising start to the initiative. A number of previous findings from empirical research were found in the current study. Victims valued having a voice and rehabilitation; and offenders valued the 'victim's forgiveness and reintegration'. The social interconnectedness of Bermuda creates a need for RJ as the stigmatization of criminality often extends beyond the offender to include their family. The pilot indicated the need in some cases for reparatory preparation work with offenders and their families before the offender feels comfortable, or able to call upon family members as conference supporters. Further the importance of community lay in the fact that the likelihood of victims coming into contact with the person who offended against them, once released is virtually inevitable. The success of the action research pilot led to the Department of Corrections adopting the initiative and continuing with it and produced nine trained facilitators. The content of the Sycamore Tree Project was superior as a phase-one prerequisite programme to RJ conferencing; however, an adaption to the programme would be needed to reduce the strong religious content. Victims and offenders benefited from the initiative.

Details: London: London Metropolitan University, 2016. 233p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 25, 2018 at: http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/1139/1/AidooDavina_HiddenHurtsHealingFromWithin.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Central America

URL: http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/1139/1/AidooDavina_HiddenHurtsHealingFromWithin.pdf

Shelf Number: 149885

Keywords:
Restorative Justice (Bermuda)
Victim-Offender Mediation
Victims of Crime

Author: Love, Hannah

Title: Justice in Their Own Words Perceptions and Experiences of (In)Justice among Human Trafficking Survivors

Summary: Survivors of interpersonal violence face many challenges when interacting with the criminal justice system, including the fear of being disbelieved, concerns about safety and retaliation, and a distrust in the system's ability to adequately respond to their cases. Although past studies have documented the challenges survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence face when interacting with the justice system, few have focused on survivors of human trafficking-a population that often experiences misconceptions regarding their victimization, stigma due to perceived involvement with illegal behavior, xenophobia, and criminalization. Without survivors' perspectives, little is known about how criminal justice actors can address these challenges and improve their interactions with human trafficking survivors. The Bending Towards Justice: Perceptions of Justice among Human Trafficking Survivors study is the first to ask survivors of human trafficking how they perceive their interactions with the justice system and how they define justice in their own terms. Drawing from qualitative interviews with 80 survivors of sex and labor trafficking and 100 human trafficking stakeholders in eight diverse metropolitan locations across the country, this brief documents survivors' difficulties achieving justice through traditional criminal justice means and provides their recommendations for how justice system responses to trafficking can be improved. It reveals that most survivors do not endorse traditional forms of retributive justice, such as incarceration, and instead prefer preventative remedies outside the formal criminal justice system.

Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2018. 18p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/97351/justice_in_their_own_words_0.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/97351/justice_in_their_own_words_0.pdf

Shelf Number: 149977

Keywords:
Human Trafficking
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Victims of Trafficking

Author: Yu, Lilly

Title: Alternative Forms of Justice for Human Trafficking Survivors: Considering Procedural, Restorative, and Transitional Justice

Summary: Alternative forms of justice show promise for human trafficking survivors, who often do not find resolution (such as conviction and incarceration for their traffickers) through the traditional criminal justice system. The Bending Towards Justice: Perceptions of Justice among Human Trafficking Survivors study is the first to ask survivors of human trafficking whether nonpunitive forms of justice would complement or compensate existing remedies. Drawing from qualitative interviews with 80 survivors of sex and labor trafficking, this brief documents survivors' experiences with and perceptions of alternative practices, including procedural, restorative, and transitional justice. While all survivors have extensive experience with procedural justice practices, only some survivors have experienced restorative and transitional justice practices. Those who had not experienced restorative and transitional justice found them desirable and promising. Service provider and criminal justice stakeholders may help survivors achieve justice for their victimization experiences by incorporating these alternative forms of justice in their practices. A key finding from the Bending Towards Justice study is human trafficking survivors' difficulty in achieving justice through the traditional criminal justice process. Various factors, including challenges survivors face participating in criminal cases against their traffickers and the inability of retributive justice outcomes, primarily the conviction and incarceration of a trafficker, impede justice for all survivors (Love et al. 2018b). As a result, practitioners, policymakers, and survivor advocates are rethinking how survivors of human trafficking can achieve justice for their experiences. Several alternative forms of justice have been shown to be viable additions or alternatives to traditional criminal justice. Three models show promise when applied to human trafficking cases: (1) procedural justice, (2) restorative justice, and (3) transitional justice. - Procedural justice models argue that the process by which justice is achieved is more important than the outcome of a case. More specifically, theories of procedural justice maintain that survivors' perceptions of justice are influenced by opportunities to be involved in the decisions made in service provision and criminal justice processes and the opportunities to participate in both by having a voice and expressing their side of the story (Thibaut and Walker 1975; Tyler 1988, 1990). An overarching element of procedural justice, therefore, is the respectful treatment of survivors as they pursue services for themselves and/or criminal justice outcomes for their traffickers. - Restorative justice models argue that criminal justice outcomes, including convictions and imprisonment, are not always the best response to crimes against a person (Bolivar 2013; Mika et al. 2004). In the case of human trafficking, nonpunitive, survivor-defined responses, including an acknowledgment of wrongdoing or an apology from traffickers, survivor confrontation of their traffickers, and the payment of reparations might significantly affect perceptions of justice. - Transitional justice models argue that larger community efforts to respond to crimes by acknowledging the harms that have occurred and preventing them from occurring again are most likely to promote peace, provide a sense of justice, and result in longer-term impacts (David and Yuk-Ping 2005; Teitel 2003; van Zyl 1999; Waldorf 2006). Transitional justice for human trafficking survivors primarily focuses on reforms to institutions and policies and educational and memorial initiatives, such as human trafficking awareness campaigns and speaking with policymakers regarding human trafficking-related legislation. While research on the effects of alternative forms of justice has largely been limited to people who are accused of crimes, these models could improve survivor perceptions of justice and reform traditional responses to human trafficking. In response, this brief explores how procedural, restorative, and transitional justice can lead to justice for survivors of human trafficking and complement or compensate for traditional justice system remedies.

Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2018. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/97341/alternative_forms_of_justice_for_human_trafficking_survivors_0.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/97341/alternative_forms_of_justice_for_human_trafficking_survivors_0.pdf

Shelf Number: 149978

Keywords:
Human Trafficking
Procedural Justice
Restorative Justice
Transitional Justice
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Victims of Trafficking

Author: Holder, Robyn

Title: Just Interests: Victims, citizens and the potential for justice

Summary: As a social and legal value, justice is a highly contextual and contested construct. In this thesis the ideal of and ideas about justice are told mainly through the narratives of ordinary people victimised by violence who then engage with the criminal justice process. Mapped alongside is the discourse of elite legal officials that sketch the discursive underpinnings to an institutional ideology about justice. For both - ordinary people and official elite - this is 'justice in the real world'. The stories of these two groupings are often posed in counterpoint. Rather than call for complete or partial redesign of state administered justice, I explore the ways in which peoples' thinking - from below - opens the space for justice that accommodates both public and private interests. In doing so, I refocus attention on the social and political status of the victim as a citizen first. Their institutional interactions create an engagement with justice that constitutes a practice of citizenship. When mobilising law, the victim-citizen draws upon an architecture of beliefs and values that operate in a particular time and space. Diverse ideas and images about justice open lines of action and stimulate attention to different objects of value. I find these cohere on a trilogy of relational interests: victim, offender and community. This justice trilogy accommodates multiple goals which are themselves accompanied by varied criteria and explanation. Face-to-face interviews conducted on three occasions with victim-citizens in a longitudinal prospective panel as they interact with different justice entities reveals these goals as partially ordered. The sequencing of these justice goals - whatever the differing priorities - allows public and private interests to be arranged and accommodated in a communicative process. However, after recording high levels of satisfaction with police intervention, the victim-citizen's satisfaction with prosecution and court tumbles, and does not recover even six months after the case is finalised at court. Unpacking what lies behind this assessment reveals a rich dimensionality to justice judgments. Here reasoning about outcome, interpersonal treatment, voice, and respect for the offender is layered, nuanced and affirms the contingent nature of justice in different settings. Perhaps inevitably the resolutions experienced are partial and incomplete. The longitudinal design of the thesis not only reveals people's thinking as responsive, contextual and dynamic but was indispensable in identifying the importance of interaction with public authorities. I show that victim-citizens want a voice that is influential, but they do not wish to dominate decision makers. They recognise justice as a unique public space in which they expect equal concern and respect accorded to the justice interests of their trilogy. I show victim-citizens were primarily interested in participatory opportunities that came after an authoritative finding. Justice emerges as a communal construct. The structured opening provided through law is an opportunity for people to rise to the demands their citizenship entails. Both justice and democracy lie at this point of convergence where the capacity of directly affected citizens is engaged.

Details: Canberra: Australian National University, 2013. 400p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed June 25, 2018 at: https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/11464/1/Holder_R.L._2013L.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/11464/1/Holder_R.L._2013L.pdf

Shelf Number: 150682

Keywords:
Victims of Crime

Author: Houston-Kolnik, Jaclyn

Title: Victim Service Delivery: Illinois Providers' Perspectives on Victim Service Barriers and Agency Capacity

Summary: In June 2016, ICJIA researchers conducted a statewide study to better understand crime victim needs, identify service gaps, and measure the capacity of Illinois victim service providers. The study was initiated to inform ICJIA's strategic plan to establish victim service funding priorities for use of S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) funds. The larger project included a literature review, an analysis of administrative data, and surveys of and discussions with victims and their family members, victim service providers, and criminal justice practitioners. This report focuses on one aspect of the statewide study: surveys and focus groups with victim service providers about service delivery and capacity. Victim service providers representing different regions of the state discussed their experiences providing services that respond to victims' needs. They discussed the importance of being able to serve victims holistically and reported encountering barriers to resources, service availability, and capacity. Awareness of both victimization and victim services was identified as a barrier to service delivery. For victims of a crime, public awareness campaigns that address what victimization is and provide information about resources are particularly important to facilitate access. However, providers also suggested that awareness efforts, in addition to the general public, should target groups that may play a role in connecting victims to services. Additionally, training for providers and community members should incorporate best practices on disclosure responses and helpseeking in victim-centered, trauma-informed ways that can create an environment of support and safety for victims. While providers saw awareness-raising as a priority, in an effort to improve victim selfidentification and first responder education, they emphasized the need to first restore and rebuild capacity within their agencies and in social services around the state to holistically meet victims' needs. Without more staff, flexible funding, or consistent referral networks, agencies are struggling to provide quality services to all victims who seek help. With these constraints, providers are finding it difficult to coordinate with other agencies in the area to access services that address complex needs, such as therapy or legal assistance. Providers have had to make the difficult decision to triage, thereby prioritizing victims in crisis and limiting their ability to provide longer term services. In addition, administrative tasks, such as data collection and reporting, place a burden on agency staff. Staff who provide direct services often also are responsible for data collection and entry. Providers discussed how these practices impacted service quality and victim engagement in services. Funding practices and restrictions also limited the types of services that agencies were able to provide and, as a result, who they were able to serve. In particular, providers discussed how fragmented and restricted funding made it challenging for service providers to address the complex, multifaceted experience and impacts of victimization. When services are fragmented victims must seek services from multiple providers to meet their needs. Despite barriers to service access and provision, providers were resilient and strategized around how to use limited resources to reach the most victims possible. Providers found collaboration to be a good approach to addressing awareness and delivery issues. Having a presence in the community also may help the community be more knowledgeable about victimization and decrease victimization-related stigma in certain communities. Victim service providers expressed hope for the future of victims services, that agency capacity would be restored, allowing them to expand their services to reach even more victims and to provide additional services. Providers spoke consistently about the importance of prevention work and how more flexible funding could enable them to resume past prevention work or to expand the scope of their work to include prevention. They also had a strong desire to seek out new settings that might be appropriate for victim services and to incorporate the use of new strategies into their program design to reach victims unlikely to seek out or access services due to barriers.

Details: Chicago, IL: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2017. 46p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2018 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/Illinois_Victim_Service_Delivery_Capacity_020618.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/Illinois_Victim_Service_Delivery_Capacity_020618.pdf

Shelf Number: 151016

Keywords:
Victim Services
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Cook, Steven Frederick

Title: Taking It To The Streets: A Comparative Analysis Of Violent Victimization, The Victim-Offender Overlap, And The Victim-Fear Relationship Among School And Street-Involved Youth In

Summary: Research on violent victimization among youth has received a considerable amount of academic attention in recent years; however, this research has typically been conducted separately for conventional populations of school-based youth and at-risk populations of street-involved youth. Although it is generally assumed that the rates of violent victimization are higher among the street-involved youth, to date, research has yet to undertake a comprehensive and comparative analysis of these two populations. Without this research, the presumed differences between these two populations will remain untested, and an analysis of how the mechanisms operate similarly and differently between these two populations will remain largely unexplored. This dissertation project addresses this gap in the literature by undertaking a comparative analysis of violent victimization, the victim-offender overlap, and the victim-fear relationship among a comparable sample of school-based youth and street-involved youth. In general, the findings from this dissertation reveal that the street-involved youth are violently victimized at much greater rates than the school-based youth, and these differences cannot be explained away by the social-situational factors that are more abundant among the street-involved youth. While the factors predicting the victim-offender overlap appear to follow a similar pattern for both the school and street youth, the dangerous social context of life on the streets creates an environment where violence and victimization frequently co-occur. These high rates of violent victimization do not directly translate into a higher level of fearfulness of crime, however, as the street-involved youth report being less fearful on average than do the school-based youth. These results suggest that fearlessness may be a learned adaptation among the street-involved youth to survive life on the streets.

Details: Toronto: University of Toronto, 2017. 213p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed August 10, 2018 at: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/77445/3/Cook_Steven_201703_PhD_thesis.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Canada

URL: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/77445/3/Cook_Steven_201703_PhD_thesis.pdf

Shelf Number: 151104

Keywords:
At-Risk Youth
Street Children
Street-Involved Youth
Victim-Offender Relationship
Victims of Crime
Violent Victimization

Author: Day, Andrew

Title: The forgotten victims: Prisoner experience of victimisation and engagement with the criminal justice system

Summary: Many women in prison have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). As this form of violence is often intergenerational and entrenched, women in prison are widely considered to be at particular risk of ongoing victimisation following release from custody. And yet, their support needs often go unrecognised, and it is likely that a range of barriers exists that prevent ex-prisoners from accessing services. This project, jointly funded by ANROWS and Sparke Helmore Lawyers was conducted in partnership between James Cook University and the South Australian Department for Correctional Services. Led by Professor Andrew Day, this research develops an understanding of the factors that influence help-seeking by women in prison who may have concerns about their personal safety post-release and how this might inform service responses. From this research, a three stage model of help-seeking and change for women in prison was developed. The model suggests that any individual who experiences IPV must: recognise and define the situation as abusive and intolerable (Stage 1); decide to disclose the abuse and seek help (Stage 2); and identify a source of support and where to seek help (Stage 3). At the same time, the ability to seek help is influenced by a broad range of individual, interpersonal and socio-cultural factors including: the woman's own history; the personal networks in which she interacts, and the history of these networks; connections between networks or systems; formal and informal social structures that influence the woman indirectly; and overarching institutional systems at the cultural or subcultural level (social/cultural norms and prejudices). For policy-makers, practitioners and service providers, the research identifies: women in prison are a particularly vulnerable group who are likely to be at a high risk of ongoing victimisation; significant barriers exist that prevent women in prison from accessing IPV support services while in prison and post-release; current service models are unresponsive to the specific needs of women in prison and post-release; a specialised approach for women in prison is needed based on their particular social and individual circumstances; the development of culturally specific support services are required for women in prison who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; and women with lived experience of incarceration should be part of the service framework in the community sector at all levels of program governance, design and delivery.

Details: Sydney: Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWs), 2018. 112p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 23, 2018 at: http://apo.org.au/system/files/188151/apo-nid188151-993026.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: Australia

URL: http://apo.org.au/system/files/188151/apo-nid188151-993026.pdf

Shelf Number: 151240

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Intimate Partner Violence
Prisoners
Rehabilitation
Repeat Victimization
Victim Services
Victims of Crime
Violence Against Women

Author: Webb, Ciara

Title: Considering a Restorative Approach for Statutory Criminal Justice Social Work in Edinburgh

Summary: The City of Edinburgh Council Criminal Justice Social Work (CJSW) service views restorative justice (RJ) as an opportunity to improve service provision to both those convicted of offending behaviour and the victims and communities affected by these behaviours. This paper considers the origins of the restorative approach to justice, values and principles underpinning the practice, and models of intervention. In October 2017, the Scottish Government published Guidance for the Delivery of Restorative Justice in Scotland which included the following definition: 'Restorative justice is a process of independent, facilitated contact, which supports constructive dialogue between a victim and a person who has harmed (whether this be an adult, child, young person or a representative of a corporate or other body) arising from an offence or an alleged offence.' Of importance is the notion of facilitated dialogue between two parties, the victim (or person harmed) and the offender (or person who has caused the harm). Underpinning this notion, is the central tenet that involvement in a restorative justice process is voluntary for all participants. By choosing to participate in restorative justice, the person who has caused the harm is taking responsibility for their offending behaviour and the person harmed is being offered a platform to speak directly about their experience to the person who harmed them. Criminal Justice Social Work now has a statutory responsibility to include the views of the community, including victims of crime, in how it provides a service to those who have been involved in offending behaviour as a result of The Victim and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016. Restorative justice is one method by which CJSW can meet this responsibility. There are valid questions raised as to the positioning of a voluntary process situated within statutory CJSW and the contraindication that may raise in practice. Exploration of international applications of restorative justice within this paper have provided some direction as to its use within a statutory setting. Academic research has underpinned the development and implementation of a pilot restorative justice service within statutory Criminal Justice Social Work in Edinburgh, which ran from November 2017 to March 2018. It is the aim of the City of Edinburgh Council to embed restorative justice within statutory Criminal Justice Social Work services. Support from the City of Edinburgh Council and the University of Edinburgh�s Knowledge Exchange Fellowship have been vital in facilitating the pilot project, with the latter assisting through access to extensive academic resources.

Details: Edinburgh, Scotland: Center for Youth and Criminal Justice, 2018. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 8, 2018 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/resource/considering-a-restorative-approach-for-statutory-criminal-justice-social-work-in-edinburgh/

Year: 2018

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RJ-in-Edinburgh-for-CYCJ-March-2018.pdf

Shelf Number: 151449

Keywords:
Offenders
Restorative Justice
Social Work
Victims of Crime

Author: Banerjee, Swapnedu

Title: 'Women on Top' and/or 'Economic Progress': What Affects Actual and Reported Crime Against Women? An Analysis of Socio-Economic Factors in India

Summary: We in this paper make an attempt to examine whether having a woman chief minister helps in reducing actual crime and increase reported crime against women. Also we examine whether economic progress affects crime against women. We find evidence that having a women chief minister has no effect on actual and reported crime against women whereas economic progress does lead to reduced crime against women. We also look at other socio-economic factors and find that increased female labour force participation, urbanization and policing increases reporting of crime whereas increased female literacy doesn�t necessarily lead to increased reporting of crime against women.

Details: Kolkata, 2018. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 11, 2018 at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/84428/

Year: 2018

Country: India

URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/84428/1/MPRA_paper_84428.pdf

Shelf Number: 152885

Keywords:
Crimes Against Women
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Duane, Marina

Title: Pretrial Strategy for Handling Intimate Partner Violence Cases: An Innovation Fund Case Study from Buncombe County, North Carolina

Summary: Criminal justice system actors tasked with responding to violence between intimate partners are grappling with how to effectively secure victims' safety while ensuring that those who use violence are held accountable and put on a path to change their abusive behavior. One example of where those two goals can be difficult to balance is releasing aggressors when at least one incident of intimate partner violence (IPV) has already been reported. While some intimate relationships are abusive from the start, many others are violent in different ways or become subtly more violent over time, making it difficult to predict when victims are in danger. Pretrial supervision agencies are well positioned to manage or mitigate such risks by monitoring some aggressors in the community. Buncombe County, North Carolina, was one of the first counties in the country to develop and pilot a specialized pretrial protocol for such supervision. This case study, part of a series highlighting work supported by the Safety and Justice Challenge Innovation Fund, highlights Buncombe County's experience implementing the protocol, examines the early outcomes and implementation challenges, builds upon the scant research in the United States about the effective pretrial supervision of IPV cases, and charts a course for other localities that seek to institute an effective coordinated response.

Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2018. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 18, 2018 at: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/pretrial-strategy-handling-intimate-partner-violence-cases

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99167/pretrial_strategy_for_intimate_partner_violence.pdf

Shelf Number: 152987

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Intimate Partner Violence
Pretrial Supervision
Victim Safety
Victims of Crime

Author: Victoria. Sentencing Advisory Council

Title: Restitution and Compensation Orders Report

Summary: In Victoria, victims of crime have a number of different options to seek compensation, including making an application for an order for restitution or an order for compensation under Part 4, Divisions 1 and 2 of the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic). In 2016, the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) released The Role of Victims of Crime in the Criminal Trial Process: Report, which recommended that the Sentencing Advisory Council review whether restitution and compensation orders under the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic) should become sentencing orders (Recommendation 49). In June 2017, the Attorney-General requested advice from the Council on this issue in the form of terms of reference, and this report constitutes the Council's response to that request. Whether restitution and compensation orders should become sentencing orders has been considered at least twice before, once by the Victorian Parliament's Law Reform Committee in 1994 and more recently by the then Department of Justice in 2009. Neither review reached a firm conclusion on this issue.

Details: Melbourne: The Council, 2018. 136p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2018 at: https://www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/Restitution_and_Compensation_Orders_Report.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: Australia

URL: https://www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/Restitution_and_Compensation_Orders_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 153277

Keywords:
Restitution
Victim Compensation
Victims of Crime

Author: Strickland, Pat

Title: Rights of Victims of Crime

Summary: A Westminster Hall debate on Rights of victims of crime is scheduled for Tuesday 13 March 2018 at 2.30pm. The Member leading the debate is Alex Sobel MP. Currently victims� rights are set out in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. This sets out what victims should expect from various criminal justice agencies. Although the Code is a statutory one, provided for in the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004, failure to comply with it does not of itself make a person liable to criminal or civil proceedings. Courts can take such failure into account in other proceedings however. Some argue that the "rights" in the code are not sufficiently enforceable. The Victims Commissioner and Victim Support have pointed to problems with victims being given their rights under the Code. In the run up to the 2015 and the 2017 General Elections, various political parties including the Conservatives promised legislation on victims� rights. The Government has said it will publish a strategy for victims "by the summer".

Details: London, UK: Parliament, House of Commons, 2018. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 21, 2019 at: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CDP-2018-0066#fullreport

Year: 2018

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CDP-2018-0066#fullreport

Shelf Number: 154333

Keywords:
Code of Practice
Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004
Rights of Victims
United Kingdom
Victim Assistance
Victim Support
Victims of Crime

Author: Souza Menezes, Francisca Livia

Title: Essays on the Economics of Crime (Brazil)

Summary: This thesis studies some of the many costs associated with exposure to crime. Chapter 2 focuses on indirect exposure to crime, and investigates how homicides affect students' performance. A number of large administrative Brazilian datasets is used to estimate the causal effect of exposure to homicides in the public way on schooling outcomes. Within-school estimates show that violence in the surroundings of schools, at the residence of students, and on the walking path from residence to school has a negative effect on a number of measures of school achievement such as test scores, repetition, dropout and school progression. Results also show that school attendance suffers following a homicide in the school surroundings. Exceptionally rich data allow the investigation of heterogeneous effects and of the channels underlying these effects. Chapter 3 examines the effect of individual criminal victimisation in robbery and theft on birth outcomes using a unique dataset from Brazil combining information on the universe of victims of crime with vital statistics data. Results show that victimisation in robbery during the first trimester reduces birthweight substantially, by about 60 grams - 10 percent of a standard deviation in birthweight - and increases the likelihood for low birthweight by about 40 percent compared to the baseline. The results are robust to the inclusion of place of residence, hospital and time fixed effects and to the inclusion of a very large array of mother and pregnancy characteristics. Results also show that victimisation leads to a substantial increase in fetal deaths and a positive selection of live births, hence likely providing a lower bound of the estimated effects on birthweight. The very rich information from crime and birth records allow the investigation of the mechanisms underlying the estimated relationship. Chapter 4 studies the effect of criminal victimisation on labour market performance. A number of very rich Brazilian administrative datasets is combined to estimate the effect of exposure to day-to-day crime events of robbery and theft on monthly attendance and turnover of public servants. Using individual and workplace fixed effects, estimates show that after becoming a victim of robbery or theft, monthly attendance of public servants in the workplace is reduced. Individuals who were victims of crime are also more likely to change their workplace or to leave their job subsequently.

Details: Leicester, UK: University of Leicester, 2018. 147p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 30, 2018 at: https://lra.le.ac.uk/handle/2381/43019

Year: 2018

Country: Brazil

URL: https://lra.le.ac.uk/handle/2381/43019

Shelf Number: 154465

Keywords:
Costs of Crime
Economics of Crime
Homicides
Robbery
School Violence
Victimization
Victims of Crime

Author: Morgan, Rachel E.

Title: Criminal Victimization, 2017

Summary: This report resents national data on criminal victimization reported and not reported to police in 2017 and the annual change in criminal victimization from 2016. The report examines personal crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, and personal larceny) and property crimes (household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft). It also includes data on domestic violence, intimate partner violence, injury to victims, and weapon use. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects information from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households on nonfatal crimes, reported and not reported to the police, against persons age 12 or older. Highlights: The rate of robbery victimization increased from 1.7 per 1,000 persons in 2016 to 2.3 in 2017. The portion of persons age 12 or older who were victims of violent crime increased from 0.98% in 2015 to 1.14% in 2017. From 2015 to 2017, the percentage of persons who were victims of violent crime increased among males, whites, those ages 25 to 34, those age 50 and over, and those who had never been married. From 2016 to 2017, the rate of overall property crime declined from 118.6 victimizations per 1,000 households to 108.4, while the burglary rate fell from 23.7 to 20.6.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics 2018. 30p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 18, 2019 at: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv17.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv17.pdf

Shelf Number: 154646

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Victimization Survey
Victims of Crime

Author: Tanttari, Sonja

Title: Petosrikollisuus ja sen ehkaisy Rikoksentorjuntakatsaus 2017 (Fraud and its Prevention: Crime Prevention Review 2017)

Summary: The number of fraud offences has been increasing drastically in the 2010s both in Finland and in many other European countries. According to the statistics compiled by the police, the number of frauds and attempted frauds has doubled in Finland between the years 2010 (20,380 cases) and 2016 (40,416 cases). Especially the number of means of payment frauds has increased significantly. Studies on crime victims also show that the number of certain types of frauds and scams targeted at private persons has increased. Frauds cause remarkable economic losses to the victims and society, and therefore we need ever more information on frauds and the means to prevent them. In spring 2017, the National Council for Crime Prevention appointed an expert working group to chart the frequency and characteristics of fraud offences targeted at private persons in today's Finland. The group was also tasked with issuing recommendations on measures that could be taken to prevent these frauds. The working group consisted of representatives of the police, the prosecution service, the financial sector, and the consumer authority, among others. The working group gathered its observations and recommendations in a crime prevention review which was published in December 2017. The review focuses on three types of fraud: online marketplace fraud, identity theft and fraud targeted at older people. RECOMMENDATIONS ON MEASURES TO BE TAKEN BY PROFESSIONALS IN VARIOUS SECTORS: The working group concluded that fraud prevention requires not only cooperation between authorities but also contribution of banks and various organisations, for example. Active and proactive information provision by the key authorities, such as the police and the consumer authority, is required and plays a crucial role here. Information must be provided through various channels to reach the different target groups. Banks should provide their customers with advice on how to use their accounts and means of payment safely. Providing this kind of advice to older people is particularly important. The working group also proposes certain improvements to the exchange of information between banks in order to increase the possibilities to intervene in the monetary transactions of criminals. Online marketplace sites can make scamming more difficult or decrease the occurrence of scams for example by providing good, detailed instructions for their users or by improving the technical security arrangements on the sites. In addition to information on online marketplace frauds, the review also contains observations on subscription traps targeted at ordinary consumers. A subscription trap refers to a situation where a consumer is misled into entering into a long-term contract without him or her being aware of doing so. The working group emphasizes that authorities must inform consumers of the dangers posed by subscription traps. Intervening in the activities of companies setting subscription traps is challenging, because many of them operate abroad. When it comes to identity theft, the working group points out that the EU Data Protection Regulation, which will become applicable in Finland as of the spring 2018, will enhance security in the use of personal data. The working group reminds, however, that authorities should review their practices when it comes to sending paper letters to citizens. Letters addressed to clients may contain personal data that may end up in wrong hands. The prevention of frauds targeted at older people requires the contribution of professionals in many fields and awareness raising among older people themselves. Older people are targeted with many different types of fraud, as offenders take advantage of the vulnerable position of the victim. For example, the number of scams involving fake police officers increased significantly in Finland in 2016-2017. The review emphasizes that professionals working with older people and older people's families and friends are in key position here. They can protect older people from becoming victims of fraud by informing them of potential scams and by advising them on ways to deal with attempted scams. Information provided by the police also plays an important role here, and the police has run campaigns informing citizens of scams involving fake police officers.

Details: Valtioneuvosto, Finland: Ministry of Justice, Criminal Policy Department, 2017. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource (In Finnish): Accessed May 30, 2019 at: https://rikoksentorjunta.fi/documents/5235988/5514049/2017-5+Petosrikollisuus+ja+sen+ehk%C3%A4iseminen+Rikoksentorjuntakatsaus+2017/8b41ff94-16f0-4932-ad84-a0486bbecc81/2017-5+Petosrikollisuus+ja+sen+ehk%C3%A4iseminen+Rikoksentorjuntakatsaus+2017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Finland

URL: https://rikoksentorjunta.fi/en/fraud-offences-and-their-prevention

Shelf Number: 156081

Keywords:
Fake Police Officers
Financial Crime
Fraud
Identity Theft
Impersonating Law Enforcement
On-line Fraud
Victims of Crime

Author: Warnken, Heather

Title: Who Experiences Violent Victimization and Who Accesses Services?: Findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey for Expanding our Reach

Summary: The purpose of this research is to identify groups of persons at high risk for serious violent victimization to help inform how victim services and assistance can be targeted to victims of greatest need. Disparities in risk and use of victim services are examined using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) - the nation's primary source of statistical information on criminal victimization. Group characteristics such as gender, race and ethnicity, and low income status are considered, as are other factors that can help identify who is most likely to experience serious nonlethal violent victimization and who currently accesses victim services. The report describes trends in victimization and victim service use over time, as well as patterns for the most recent time period. This information can inform the victim assistance, criminal justice, and broader public health community in key funding and policy decisions affecting the lives of crime victims and front line practitioners across the country, at a time when historic funding levels and increased flexibility in the use of victim assistance dollars make data-informed strategies as critical as ever.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Center for Victim Research, 2019. 25p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2019 at: https://ncvc.dspacedirect.org/handle/20.500.11990/1230

Year: 2019

Country: United States

URL: https://ncvc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11990/1230/CVR%20Article_Who%20Experiences%20Violent%20Victimization%20and%20Who%20Accesses%20Services.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 156822

Keywords:
National Crime Victimization Survey
Public Health
Victim Services
Victimization
Victims of Crime
Violent Victimization

Author: Brown, Kevin J.

Title: Improving Access to Justice for Older Victims of Crime: Older People as Victims of Crime and the Response of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland

Summary: This report examines how to improve access to justice for older victims of crime in Northern Ireland. It explores crime against older people in Northern Ireland and responses to it by the criminal justice system. An older person is defined for the purposes of this study as anyone aged 60 or over. - The Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland commissioned this research. Researchers from the School of Law at Queen's University Belfast conducted the study. The first phase of research study was undertaken from January - July 2016. The second phase was conducted between January - April 2018. A further update was made January - March 2019. -The study had a number of aims: (1) to better understand the experiences and expectations of older people when they are victims of crime in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to their interactions with the agencies of the criminal justice system. (2) to better understand how the criminal justice agencies, in particular the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland (PPS) respond to crimes involving older people as victims. (3) to make any relevant recommendations based on the research findings. -This research study adopted a mixed methods approach combining analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. A statistical analysis of PSNI and PPS statistics was undertaken. In addition, interviews and focus groups were conducted with older people including those who have been victims of crime, as well as family members of older victims. Interviews and focus groups were also conducted with staff from the PSNI, PPS, Victim and Witness Crime Unit and Victim Support NI. The analysis of the results was informed by existing literature.

Details: Belfast, Ireland: Queen's University, Belfast, 2019. 242p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://researchmgt.monash.edu/ws/portalfiles/portal/271883038/Improving_Access_to_Justice_for_Older_Victims_of_Crime_Technical_Report_K_Brown_and_F_Gordon_.pdf

Year: 2019

Country: Ireland

URL: https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/improving-access-to-justice-for-older-victims-of-crime-older-peop

Shelf Number: 156472

Keywords:
Access to Justice
Elderly Victims of Crime
Ireland
Mixed Methods
Victims of Crime

Author: Dean, Adam

Title: Elder Abuse: Key Issues and Emerging Evidence

Summary: Elder abuse is a multifaceted and often hidden form of abuse. There is currently no national data on the prevalence of elder abuse in Australia. Based on international studies, it is estimated that between 2% and 14% of older people in high- or middle-income countries experience elder abuse every year. The term 'elder abuse' covers a range of harmful behaviours, including physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse and neglect. This paper provides an overview of elder abuse in Australia. It discusses key issues involved in how elder abuse is defined and examines its prevalence, impact and associated risk factors, with a focus on implications of recent research for policy and practice. Key messages: -Elder abuse is a complex phenomenon that takes many forms, including physical, psychological, sexual and financial abuse and neglect. -An estimated 2�14% of older people in high- or middle-income countries are victims of abuse or neglect every year. Prevalence rates are likely to be much higher in institutional care settings than in community settings. -A range of factors associated with older people, perpetrators, relationships and broader contextual factors contribute to older people's risk of abuse and neglect. Emerging evidence suggests that social isolation and poor quality relationships are among the main risk factors associated with elder abuse in community settings. -Social support and healthy relationships with family members are key protective factors for older people at risk of abuse or neglect. -Research and evaluation on specific prevention and intervention strategies are needed to give a clearer understanding of what works to protect and promote the dignity of older Australians.

Details: Southbank, Australia: Australian Institute of Family Studies and Child Family Community Australia, 2019. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 18, 2019 at: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/sites/default/files/publication-documents/51_elder_abuse.pdf

Year: 2019

Country: Australia

URL: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/cfca-paper/elder-abuse

Shelf Number: 156491

Keywords:
Elder Abuse
Elderly Victims
Emotional Abuse
Financial Abuse
Neglect
Physical Abuse
Victims of Crime

Author: Broadhurst, Roderic

Title: Restorative Justice Evaluation: An Observational Outcome Evaluation of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Program

Summary: The Australian National University and Australian Institute of Criminology were commissioned by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Justice and Community Safety Directorate to undertake an impact evaluation of the restorative justice conferencing program. There were two components to this evaluation. The first involved the analysis of surveys of offenders, victims and their support persons conducted by the Restorative Justice (RJ) Unit following each conference. The second involved using criminal history data provided by ACT Policing to conduct an analysis of reoffending among the 1,143 participants in restorative justice conferencing (RJC) compared with 4,668 young offenders dealt with at the same time through the normal process, whose criminal history had been tracked until September 2016. Analysis of the surveys completed by conference participants show that the majority of victims, victim support persons, offenders and offender support persons were satisfied with the conference process and outcome of the conference. Overall, 93% of all conference participants (victims, offenders, and supporters) reported being pleased with the outcome of their conference, and between 97 and 99% of all participants and felt treated with respect, able to say what they wanted as part of the process, that the process was fair for them and the offender, and that their rights had been respected. To measure the impact RJC on reoffending, various statistical methods were used to estimate recidivism. These methods compared the proportion of RJC participants who re-offended with a comparison group of young offenders who had not been referred to the program. Apart from estimating the proportion of offenders who re-offended (defined here as re-arrest), and the time taken to reoffend, the frequency of reoffending (i.e. the number of charges or offences) was also measured. The RJC participants were more likely to be male, younger, charged with a violent or property offence, and with a more extensive criminal history than non-participants-factors known to increase the risk of reoffending. The raw percent re-arrested by the cut-off date (September 2016) was 55.9% of the RJC participants and 45.4% of the non-RJC group. After adjusting for differences in follow up time (i.e. a maximum follow up of 12 years and a median follow-up of approximately 7 years) an estimated 61% of RJC participants and 49% of non-participants would be expected to be re-apprehended for at least one offence. However, RJC participants are less likely to reoffend or to reoffend as often as non-participants when differences between them were controlled in either a conventional multivariate model or a matched case analysis. Both approaches produced similar results overall. The multivariate method estimated a 23% reduction and the matched case method a 30% reduction in the frequency of re-offending. The multivariate regression showed RJC participants were significantly less likely to reoffend after the reference episode, although the positive impact of the RJC process appears to decay over time. An intervention effect is also evident when matched groups of juvenile offenders are compared-RJC participants take significantly longer to reoffend and accumulate fewer offences. The proportion estimated to reoffend after 12 months was 20% for RJC participants and 29% for the matched comparison group, after five years about 47% of both RJ and non-RJ had re-offended, but after ten years, 54% of RJC participants compared to 64% of non-participants would be expected to be re-apprehended for at least one offence. The frequency of offending in the follow-up period was also more pronounced at 30% lower for offenders who participated in a RJC compared with a matched group of offenders dealt with by a court or by police using another disposition. The positive RJC intervention effect is further confirmed in a factorial analysis of the risks of recidivism, with lower risks of recidivism identified for specific sub-groups of offenders engaged in the RJC process: for example, property offenders with a prior record had significantly lower recidivism and took longer to re-offend after participation in RJC than those that did not. First time violent offenders also had significantly lower recidivism risks post RJC than those who did not. This observational study of the effects of RJC has limitations because the comparison group was not randomly assigned but matched post hoc using statistical methods or controls. Thus, some selection factors may be overlooked or unaccounted for. However, after applying a variety of analytical methods to describe this large sample of juvenile offenders we conclude that the RJC program has a positive impact on reoffending. It was not possible to draw any conclusions as to whether victims who participate in RJC are more satisfied than those whose matter is dealt with by a court or another disposition, there are very few participants who are dissatisfied with the process and outcome. The victim-centric program delivered by the Restorative Justice Unit is thus successful in delivering a generally positive experience for victims, and other conference participants.

Details: Canberra: Australian National University (ANU); ANU Cybercrime Observatory; School of Regulation & Global Governance (RegNet), 2019. 26p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 16, 2019 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3414715

Year: 2019

Country: Australia

URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3414715

Shelf Number: 156899

Keywords:
Juvenile Offenders
Recidivism
Restorative Justice
Victims of Crime

Rutgers - School of Law, Newark

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