Meeting the Needs of Underserved Victims Video and Guidebook

• NCJ Number: 195656
• Author(s): Melissa Hook; Morna Murray; Anne Seymour
• Date Published: September 2005
• Length: 56 pages
• Grant Number(s): 95-MU-GX-K002
• Sponsoring Agency: Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
• Corporate Author: Victims' Assistance Legal Organization (VALOR)
• Sale Source: OVC Resource Ctr
• Publication Format: Film
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: VHS color video 13 minutes, and a 56 page discussion guide.

Annotation

This video addresses the challenges experienced by underserved victim populations as well as the challenges experienced by service providers as they attempt to meet the needs of these populations.

Abstract

There are certain populations of crime victims who are perpetually underserved, these include the deaf and hard of hearing community, geographically isolated crime victims, victims from urban communities, immigrant populations, victims with disabilities, victims of hate and bias crimes, and victims of financial crimes. The video presents the stories and insights of five crime victims, focusing on the emotional impact of the crime, their struggles to gain assistance, and the struggle of victim services to meet their needs. In the first segment, a deaf rape survivor discusses her feelings of isolation as she attempted to navigate the criminal justice system at a time when there were few services for the deaf within criminal justice and law enforcement agencies. The second segment tells the story of a mass murder on an Indian Reservation and the challenges of serving an entire affected community in an isolated area. The long distance commute required to access services, combined with a lack of understanding of the victim services system, kept many from seeking the help they needed. The third segment focuses on how to serve urban victims who may view victim services with distrust while the fourth segment explores how to best serve the needs of immigrant women by involving their community in their healing and by allowing them to express themselves in culturally relevant ways. The final segment discusses the host of problems facing victims with disabilities and the unique challenges for service providers working with these populations. A discussion guide accompanies the 13 minute video, offering a summary as well as questions and discussion points for each segment. The discussion guide contains material on two additional underserved victim populations: victims of hate and bias crimes and victims of financial crimes. Additional resources are identified.