NCJ Number
128582
Date Published
1990
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the development of the victim movement and trends in victim policy in Europe and compares them with victim-oriented efforts in the United States.
Abstract
As in the United States, European interest in crime victims emerged in the early 1970's in response to rising crime rates, the apparent ineffectiveness and indifference of criminal justice systems in dealing with victims, and growing awareness of the impact of crime on victims. The victim movement in Europe, however, took a different course from that in the United States. It has focused on victim services rather than on victims' "rights." Advocates have not pressed for legislation to empower victims as they have done in the United States by pushing for participation in sentencing and other criminal justice activities. The European victim movements have been less overtly political than in the United States as they have worked with government ministries to deliver and improve specialized services for their constituents. Neither are European programs part of the criminal justice system. Whereas in the United States they are often adjuncts of prosecutors' offices or the police, in Europe they are administered by independent social agencies. In Great Britain, for example, most services are coordinated and delivered by volunteer networks. All programs are funded directly by central governments, except in West Germany where they are the responsibility of the States. 39 references