NCJ Number
91551
Date Published
1983
Length
70 pages
Annotation
This summary of the Canadian Federal-Provincial Task Force on Justice for the Victims of Crime report concludes that most problems in justice system practices affecting victims resulted from attitudes, customs, and habits rather than the contingencies of the system itself.
Abstract
Research studies and the 1982 Canadian Urban Victimization Survey showed that the need most frequently raised by victims was for information on the criminal justice system's operations and the progress of the cases in which they were involved. Also needed were counseling and financial aid services to help cope with the effects of victimization. The task force felt that victims should be encouraged to participate in the judicial process, despite arguments that this could produce delays, higher costs, and compromises in procedural safeguards. Proposed changes in current practices address returning property to victims, restitution by the offender and the state, a victim impact statement, protection from intimidation, the rights of victims to apply for an order prohibiting publication of their identity, and the right to apply for an in camera hearing. The task force recommended developing services to help victims obtain information, practical help, counseling, and crime prevention information, as well as training for police to sensitize them to victims' needs. Services should also be developed for special victims such as the elderly, children, and battered wives. Wherever possible, specific victims' rights should be legislated. Costs of initiating victims' services would not be excessive, and the concept of a fine surtax holds promise as a funding source. Finally, the key to success in areas which have implemented victims' programs was the determination of local officials to work together. The appendixes summarize the task force's 79 recommendations and list its members.