NCJ Number
82163
Date Published
1982
Length
402 pages
Annotation
This report includes a first year evaluation of the Victim Involvement Project (VIP) operating in the Brooklyn Criminal Court (New York); a report on administering restitution payments in Brooklyn and the Bronx, N.Y.; an evaluation of case followup and enforcement activities of the Brooklyn Dispute Center; and a report on services for abused spouses in New York City.
Abstract
Court observations and other evaluation data showed that VIP helped make the dispositional process less costly and complicated for victims and that it succeeded in increasing the use of restitution and judicial admonishments. The evaluation of restitution programs run by the Victim Services Agency (VSA) in Brooklyn and Bronx Criminal Courts found that, despite VSA's efforts, nonpayment remained a major problem in restitution cases in Brooklyn Criminal Court. The default rate was much lower, however, in Bronx Criminal Court which does not officially close cases until restitution is actually paid by defendants. An evaluation of the Brooklyn Dispute Center found that most disputants were satisfied with the handling of their cases in mediation and that, in general, recidivism following mediation was low. The report also describes the population of abused spouses who attempt to make use of governmental and private services in New York City, identifies and describes the characteristics of these women, examines the responses with which battered women are met when they approach and use these services, and suggests directions for future program development of services for battered women. Notes, tables, graphs, and references are included for some of the reports.