NCJ Number
112702
Date Published
1985
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This evaluation assessed the extent to which victim assistance services were effective in alleviating the psychological effects of victimization and in helping police and prosecutors perform their duties.
Abstract
A quasi-experimental design compared victims in Tucson who received crisis intervention services (109 subjects), delayed services (114 subjects), or no services (100 subjects) through a comprehensive interview administered 1 month after the crime and 4 to 6 months later. The interview included measures of psychological, social, financial, and physical impact. A series of additional surveys and group interviews assessed the impact on police and prosecutors. Results indicate that within 1 month of the crime, most victims showed high levels of distress on all measures. Symptoms of distress, other than fear, had abated considerably 4 to 6 months later. Multivariate analysis indicated that distress was more pronounced among victims of intrusive crimes such as rape and among those who had experienced higher levels of stress in the year prior to victimization. The provision of both crisis intervention and delayed services assisted victims in a variety of ways, but there was only slight evidence that services helped reduce victims' emotional trauma. The overwhelming majority of police and prosecutors valued the victim assistance services and felt that such services helped their performance. Despite these positive views, neither police nor prosecutors used the services to their full capacity. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 12 references. (Author abstract modified)