NCJ Number
250694
Date Published
August 2010
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper - which is intended to accompany the "Model Policy on Response to Victims of Crime," issued by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center - provides essential background material and supporting documentation on the developmental philosophy and implementation requirements of the model policy.
Abstract
An introductory discussion on the rationale and history of law enforcement's response to crime victims notes that historically law enforcement has been an integral part of the criminal justice system's efforts to address the needs of crime victims. The first police-based victim service programs were established in the 1970s, leading the way for the hundreds that exist today. The main body of the paper consists of discussions of the following issues: victims of crime, crime victims and trauma, crime victim needs, necessary skills and attitudes needed by law enforcement officers in serving crime victims, and challenges and effective strategies. The first discussion considers a crime's physical, financial, social, spiritual, and emotional impact on victims and their families. The second discussion defines and discusses victim trauma as the "sum total of psychological, physical, behavioral, and cognitive reactions experienced by an individual or a community in response to a sudden, unexpected event or a series of events that overwhelm the ability to cope." The third discussion focuses on the following seven critical needs of crime victims: safety, support, information, access to the justice system and support services, continuity in service delivery, a voice to express the impact of the crime on them, and justice expressed in the conviction of the offender. The fourth discussion outlines the skills and knowledge required for law enforcement officers to understand and serve the needs of crime victims. A discussion of challenges and effective strategies in serving victims concludes the topics addressed.