NCJ Number
139894
Date Published
1989
Length
150 pages
Annotation
The purpose of the Victims and Witnesses in the Juvenile Justice System Development Program, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is to develop and test model approaches to serving victims and witnesses of juvenile crime.
Abstract
The program is divided into assessment, prototype development, training and technical assistance, and test design phases. Findings of the assessment phase, presented in the current report, indicate that few researchers have studied victims and witnesses in the juvenile justice system, even though juveniles account for a substantial share of crime in the United States, Limited evidence suggests that juvenile crime victims have concerns and problems similar to persons victimized by adult offenders. General recognition of the plight of victims has spurred many legislative initiatives and the development of victim- witness assistance programs, but it is not clear how much these initiatives and programs have touched the juvenile justice system. Victim rights have not achieved the same statutory recognition in the juvenile justice system as they have in the adult system. While juvenile codes contain few guarantees of victim and witness rights, they also contain few explicit prohibitions against their participation. Current practices with respect to victims and witnesses in the juvenile justice system and approaches to victim-witness assistance are detailed. Recommendations to improve the plight of juvenile victims and witnesses are offered. Additional information on the survey procedures of the Victims and Witnesses in the Juvenile Justice System Development Program is appended. 54 references and 12 tables