Tribal Probation Officers Guide to Working With Victims

• NCJ Number: 249047
• Date Published: July 2015
• Author(s): Anne Seymour
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-AC-BX-K001
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Instructional Material (Programmed)

Annotation

Recognizing that tribal probation officers (TPO) are in a unique position to provide victims of their probationers' offenses with critical information and link them with appropriate services, this bulletin provides TPOs with a brief overview of victims' rights, tips to help them coordinate and improve victim services, and information on the varied services available to crime victims.

Abstract

An outline of the impact crime has on victims addresses its emotional/psychological, physical, financial, social, and spiritual effects. This is followed by a listing of eight specific rights given crime victims in Indian Country under the Federal Crime Victims Rights Act. These rights focus on the responsibilities of the tribal criminal justice system in its interactions with crime victims. The bulletin them addresses barriers to victim participation in criminal and tribal justice processes. These barriers include Federal restrictions on the authority of tribal criminal justice systems, lack of access to services for Native women who are victims of domestic violence, barriers to the enforcement of tribal protective orders, and the lack of an effective legal response to sexual assault crimes. Questions that TPOs might ask crime victims about their needs are suggested, and TPOs are given guidance on helping crime victims access various services they may need. In addition, tips are offered on effective communication with crime victims and collaboration with criminal justice and community agencies in the provision of victim assistance services. References and additional resources are listed.