Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power: The Polish Experiences (From Changing Victim Policy: The United Nations Victim Declaration and Recent Developments in Europe: Report on Expert Group Meeting, 1988, Helsinki, P 46-64, 1989 -- See NCJ 122412)

• NCJ Number: 122414
• Author(s): E Bienkowska
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: United Nations European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI)
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: Finland

Annotation

In the 3 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, many efforts in Poland have focused on carrying out the guidelines in the declaration.

Abstract

The Polish legal system has long granted victims many of the rights contained in the Declaration, particularly the rights related to criminal procedures and compensation. The efforts surrounding the Declaration and its adoption also brought efforts to improve the situation of victims in Poland. However, at the same time other legal regulations have been introduced that have overlooked the interests of victims. Thus, work on the implementation of the Declaration in Poland has been uneven in that the Foundation for Assisting Victims of Crime has been established, but victims lack a real right to obtain restitution from the offender. The unevenness may result from the socioeconomic and political crisis in Poland in the 1980's. However, the current work on reforming the penal law indicates a reemergence of the trend toward recognizing and addressing victims' needs.