NCJ Number
175859
Journal
Corrections Management Quarterly Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: Fall 1998 Pages: 75-80
Date Published
1998
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the evolution of victim services in Ohio's criminal justice system.
Abstract
In 1996, Ohio's "truth-in-sentencing" law mandated the involvement of victims in the criminal justice process from arrest, trial and sentencing to incarceration and release. The article discusses the history of victims' rights in Ohio; the evolution of Ohio's victim services in corrections; the Office of Victim Services; victim notification; the Victim Coordinator Network; Victim Conference Day; and full parole board hearings. The Office of Victim Services (OVS) brings together victims and offenders in "Victim Sensitive Offender Dialogue" intended to answer victims' questions about a criminal event and to make the offender aware of the pain and suffering he or she inflicted. The OVS plans eventually to examine the impact, if any, these meetings may have on the recidivism rate of participants. Victim services programs help prison and parole staffs work more effectively with offenders because they can better understand the nature of offenders' impact on victims' lives. Victims may receive compensation or simply answers to troubling questions. Offenders may accept and understand the ramifications of their actions and begin to make amends. Communities and the public have increased awareness of how they can support victims and offenders and help them regain some stability in their lives.