NCJ Number
121898
Date Published
1987
Length
168 pages
Annotation
This handbook was developed to be used in a series of workshops held in Florida in 1987 on neighborhood watch victim assistance.
Abstract
The workshop's nine sessions begin with an introduction to the National Sheriffs' Association Victim Assistance Program (NSAVAP), established to train and assist sheriffs and other criminal justice officials in dealing with victims' rights and needs. The second session describes the problem, defining a victim as the individual, families, and survivors of victims, who suffer physical, financial, or emotional harm as a result of a crime. The crime-as-a-crisis model is described in the third session and applied in terms of different types of crimes and stages of crisis reaction. The fourth session covers the legal response to victimization, victim rights legislation, and court decisions. The workshop's fifth session is a videotape about victimization and crime prevention. In the sixth session, the Davis County, Utah, sheriff's office is described as an example of a victim response unit. The seventh session uses neighborhood watch victim assistance to demonstrate an inexpensive way to revitalize the community's interest in crime prevention and to increase public willingness to report and prosecute criminals. Guidelines for providing a neighborhood watch victim assistance program are provided in the eighth session, including securing official commitment, choosing a law enforcement coordinator, and researching the field. Finally, a training guide to be used by the law enforcement officer with Neighborhood Watch groups is outlined. Chapter references.