NCJ Number
211296
Date Published
June 2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This report presents the European Union's Council of Ministers' Framework Decision on the standing of victims in criminal proceedings, which sets out minimum standards for the treatment of crime victims and their families throughout the European Union.
Abstract
The Framework Decision provides crime victims with access to justice, compensation that includes legal costs and expenses, the provision of information relevant to their cases, sensitive and competent services and case handling, and allowance for the disadvantages of living in a member state different from the one in which the crime was committed. One chapter of this report explains these provisions in detail, along with the principles that underlie them. Another chapter considers the inequalities in victim services across Europe, followed by a chapter that considers the separate issue of compensation from the state. A chapter presents examples of best practice and the critical provision of victim support organizations. Since the laws and systems that impact victims and witnesses differ across the United Kingdom and Ireland, there are separate organizations for victim support in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; Scotland; and the Republic of Ireland. Victim support organizations in the countries of the United Kingdom have become increasingly aware of the range of problems that face British citizens who become crime victims while visiting another European Union country. British victim support organizations have worked with many people who received inconsistent, confusing, and unsympathetic treatment in the countries where the crime occurred. The Framework Decision is believed to be a vital step in achieving consistency and quality in victim services throughout the member states of the European Union. The concluding chapter discusses the next steps in improving services for crime victims across the European Union. 18 notes