This video provides a blueprint for the U.S. Department of Justice commitment to fair and equitable treatment for victims and witnesses of crime.
This video provides information on the Victim Witness Program and the resources made available to ensure that victims and witnesses of crime are treated fairly throughout their contact with the criminal justice system. The U.S Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office have taken several steps to make the participation by victims of crime and witnesses more effective and meaningful. This video provides an overview of the needs and rights of victims of both violent and non-violent crimes, and the responsibilities of law enforcement officers regarding those needs and rights. Many victims are interviewed throughout the presentation to provide insight into their own personal experiences of victimization, their sense of violation, emotional trauma, and violation of trust. It provides information about what it is like to be a victim of crime who experience feelings of confusion, frustration, fear, and anger. The various stages of the reparative process for victims is explained while suggestions are provided to the criminal justices organizations on how to deal with the internal suffering of victims during the reparative process. It also explains the responsibilities of citizenship as someone who has knowledge about the commission of a crime and is to serve as witnesses at the criminal trial or one of the other hearings held in connection with the criminal prosecution. The Federal criminal justice system cannot function without the participation of witnesses. The complete cooperation and truthful testimony of all witnesses are essential to the proper determination of guilt or innocence in a criminal case.