NCJ Number
117904
Date Published
1989
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This report provides an overview of information on victims of violence in Australia, including the methods of coping by the victim, and the basic procedures for assisting victims.
Abstract
The information available on victims of violence, acquired by police statistics and victim surveys, is inadequate. However, it is known that the experience of being the victim of crime affects different people in different ways. There are those individuals, such as women, children, and the elderly, whose position of dependence or disadvantage renders them less able to cope with this experience. Victims of violence often share a feeling of loss of control; a sense of shame, embarrassment, anxiety, depression, and fear; or hostility. Measures taken to assist these victims should serve to reduce the anxiety, reaffirm personal worth, and restore the quality of life to a level equal to or better than that which prevailed before the act of violence took place. The criminal justice system should provide payment of criminal injuries compensation; social support and information; and, if needed, professional therapeutic intervention to the victim. Bibliography.