NCJ Number
90209
Editor(s)
P N Grabosky
Date Published
1982
Length
345 pages
Annotation
Papers from this Australian symposium on victimology deal with the experience of the victim in the criminal process, criminological research and the crime victim, the media and the crime victim, crime victim mental health needs, evaluating victim services, the role of the community in assisting crime victims, and victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Abstract
In discussing criminal procedure, evidence, and the crime victim, papers focus on reconciling the interests of the victim with the rights of the accused in the criminal laws of evidence, the role of the victim in plea negotiations, and the attorney's duty in the interrogation of the victim witness. Papers dealing with legal representation for crime victims consider representation for child victims, the use of mediation through community justice centers as an alternative to prosecution, and the mistreatment of victims by the criminal justice system. In discussing the educating of actual and potential crime victims, one paper argues for a greater recognition of the limitations of the current methods by which the law and legal processes deal with the plight of sexual assault victims in New South Wales, while other papers address the role of the police in informing crime victims together with the rights and options of sexual assault victims. A review of victimization research examines the risk of becoming a crime victim, victims of female homicide offenders, and children as victims of crime. Papers on crime victim mental health needs focus on sexual assault victims and the psychological needs of family members of victims killed through crime. Major themes in all the papers are that the major needs of victims are for social support and information; the needs of victims can be met without detracting from the rights of the accused; and knowledge of victims and their experiences remains inadequate. For individual documents, see NCJ 90210-30.