A First Account of a Sometimes Troubled System

Through recent years, many speculations have been made about the care of victims when passed through the criminal justice system. Although countless research has been conducted in the past 10 to 15 years on victims of crime and their experiences within the criminal justice system, it would seem that none have significantly improved the satisfaction or the recovery of the victim from the crimes committed against them. Police, along with the Judicial System, tend to convey that they are working diligently, doing all they can to bring justice to the victims of crime; however, there is much criticism from experts concerning the topic. Over the past few months, I have interviewed and spoken with those involved first-hand in the care of victims as well as looked over several academic journals to help clarify the differences between what is said and what is reported. The concept of victims’ rights has been in a more prominent position in numerous national judicial agendas since the 1980s due to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration of basic principles of justice for victims of crime and abuse of power. Victims’ Bills of Rights are available in the United States, Canada, and Australia. In Europe, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands were forerunners in introducing victim-oriented guidelines. Moreover, in all of these countries, extensive state-sponsored victim support facilities that work in close cooperation with the criminal justice system were created (Van Dijk, Van Kaam, & Wemmers, 1999). In our country, rights are enforced and upheld by the police, who are now considered legally responsible for informing victims about support facilities in their own community, one basic right being psychological assistan...

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