NCJ Number
82827
Date Published
1981
Length
256 pages
Annotation
The materials presented describe and are used to implement New Jersey's Victim/Witness Coordination Project, a program designed to improve victim/witness services throughout the State.
Abstract
The program includes (1) training for personnel involved in victim/witness services, (2) a 24-hour victim/witness assistance hotline, (3) a victim/witness assistance resource directory, (4) liaison with police and victim-oriented groups, (5) technical assistance to prosecutors' offices, (6) the drafting of a program development guide, (7) a notification system which advises victims of progress in the criminal litigation of their cases, (8) a slide presentation on the criminal justice system, (9) a newsletter and monthly mailings, and (10) the use of victim/witness services information in the police training curriculum. The materials in this packet include a final report that critiques project activities, an update of prosecutors' offices victim/witness services, and discussions of the future of victim/witness assistance and the institutionalization of the New Jersey project. The program development guide is also provided. It explains the reason for victim/witness assistance and the development of various information services, logistic services, and service referral. Recordkeeping is also discussed. Other materials in the packet are an abstract of the program, a supplement to the program development guide which deals with personnel considerations, a letter and questionnaire that accompanies the resource manual on victim services for disabled persons, a manual on the victim/witness notification system, and a case history of a sexual assault victim.