NCJ Number
101486
Journal
Judicature Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Dated: (December-January 1986) Pages: 192-198
Date Published
1986
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Judges on their own can do only so much to meet the needs of victims and witnesses, but they can greatly expand their influence on the system's treatment of victims by actively cooperating with victim-witness service programs.
Abstract
The National Judicial Conference and the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime have described a range of courtroom activities that judges can take on behalf of victims. A description of the Alameda County Victim/Witness Program (California), however, demonstrates the benefits of close coordination between the judiciary and a program devoted to victim/witness needs. Such programs expedite court operations by handling nervous, frightened, or distraught witnesses; taking responsibility for witness' appearance; preparing victim impact statements; and making recommendations for restitution. Victim programs act as buffers for judges with the public at large and with victims and their families. They also aid the courts in complying with legislative mandates regarding victim impact statements and restitution. The article discusses a judge's pivotal role in establishing local programs and possible impediments to coordination. 24 footnotes.