NCJ Number
134248
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 15 Issue: 1 and 2 Dated: (Spring/Fall 1991) Pages: 217-225
Date Published
1991
Length
9 pages
Annotation
After describing Polish law regarding crime victims, this article presents the results of a national survey of Polish victims that inquired about their experiences with and evaluation of the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Polish law is attentive to crime victims in the protection of especially vulnerable victim groups; in the punishment of the offender; and in the respect shown to the victim's wishes in the prosecution of the offender, the sentence, and the dissemination of information on the victimization and its consequences. To examine how this law works in practice, a survey was conducted with a national sample of victims randomly selected from a list of all criminal cases tried in Poland from April through June 1990. A total of 2,500 victims were surveyed, and 1,496 questionnaires were completed and returned. The distribution of the type of victimization of the responding sample was similar to that of all victims in Polish criminal courts. The questionnaire addressed the victimization, participation in and experiences with the criminal justice system, and the measurement of victim satisfaction with the criminal justice process. Survey results indicate that despite attention in the law to victims' rights and roles in the criminal justice process, most victims do not fully realize their rights and are not satisfied with the Polish criminal justice system. Implications of these findings are discussed. 14 references