NCJ Number
95008
Journal
Justice System Journal Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 62-86
Date Published
1984
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Since the late 1960s many reforms have been instituted to improve the treatment of crime victims, particularly victims of rape. A motivation behind many of these changes is to ensure that victims cooperate with police and assist prosecutors in the conviction of criminals. Past research on programs designed to help victims reflects this same orientation and analyzes 'what works' primarily from an agency's perspective.
Abstract
Though victims give purpose to the adjudicatory process and are essential to its operation, their opinions rarely have been solicited when designing or evaluating putative reforms. This article presents victims' views of the legal system in a large metropolitan area where identifiable policy changes have been introduced. One hundred adult female rape victims were personally interviewed and asked to evaluate their contact with and attitude toward police, medical and court personnel. This article summarizes the victims' views of police, prosecutors and courts, and reports their recommendations on how to improve the treatment of crime victims. (Publisher abstract)