NCJ Number
94673
Date Published
1983
Length
168 pages
Annotation
Witnesses representing the Department of Justice (DOJ), State victims compensation programs, and national organizations which advocate victim services testified on the current status of victim asistance programs, implementation of the 1982 Victim and Witness Protection Act, and the impact of crime on the elderly.
Abstract
The first witness, an official from the DOJ, discussed significant provisions of the act and their implementation, focusing on victim impact statements and restitution programs. The Chairman of the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime briefly surveyed its findings, with attention to elderly victims and how poorly they are treated by the criminal justice system. Victim compensation programs were reviewed by the next two witnesses, a representative from the American Bar Association and an assistant director of Harvard Law School's Center for Criminal Justice. They explored limitations of such programs and Federal aid as proposed in S. 704. Administrators of New York State's and Iowa's victims compensation programs described elements common to most victim compensation laws, along with special problems faced by elderly victims. Both witnesses supported Federal assistance to State programs and suggested guidelines for such funding. A representative from the National Organization for Victim Assistance analyzed the physical, financial, and psychological effects of criminal victimization and detailed eight services essential to meeting the needs of all victims. The final witness represented the American Association of Retired Persons and reviewed that organization's research regarding criminal victimization of the elderly, emphasizing the impact of the intangibles of victimization on the elderly rather than statistics.