Fair Treatment Standards for Crime Victims: A One-Year Evaluation of New York's Experience

• NCJ Number: 107129
• Author(s): R D Clark
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: New York Crime Victims Compensation Board
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Guideline
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, Georgia, November 1986.

Annotation

This paper outlines the rights given crime victims under New York State's 1984 Fair Treatment Standards for Crime Victims (FTS), reports on a recent evaluation of the implementation of these rights, and discusses directions for future research.

Abstract

Major standards mandate emergency victim medical, social, and psychological services; a referral list of such services to be maintained by criminal justice agencies; assistance by criminal justice agencies for victims eligible for compensation; and the provision of case processing information for victims. The assessment of criminal justice agency compliance with these standards involved a mail survey of 683 criminal justice agencies throughout the States, yielding 128 usable responses. The responding agencies have made a significant start in complying with many of the FTS's. A majority of the respondents report compliance with standards mandating notification of compensation information, dissemination of information on criminal justice agency functions, procedures for victim emergency services, and maintenance of lists of local victim service providers. A minority of the respondents have complied with standards pertaining to personnel training and written information to victims. Future evaluation research is suggested. 6 footnotes, 4 tables, the survey form, and the FTS.