These programs have grown in number in communities throughout the United States and have expanded the services they provide. Most promising has been the willingness of religious organizations to collaborate with the secular victim assistance community. The faith community has created numerous faith-based victim-offender mediation programs in which meetings between victims and offenders are arranged when victims request them and courts allow offenders to participate. Faith-based victim assistance programs in Ohio, California, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Washington, and Colorado are described. The issue of confidentiality and reporting crime to law enforcement is discussed in the context of the responsibilities of religious leaders. Recommendations to facilitate the role of the faith community in helping crime victims are offered. 8 endnotes
New Directions From the Field: Victims' Rights and Services for the 21st Century - Faith Community
NCJ Number
172822
Date Published
1998
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Faith-based crime victim assistance programs have emerged to address the needs of victims and restore their spiritual and mental health.
Abstract