NCJ Number
167494
Date Published
1986
Length
116 pages
Annotation
This proposed research aims at improving police assistance to victims by identifying, assessing, and developing a typology of law enforcement procedures and programs that operate under varying conditions and constraints.
Abstract
The project will build upon research on police assistance to victims now being conducted by Research Management Associates as part of the National Assessment Program, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, and will be enhanced by the resources and expertise of the National Organization for Victim Assistance. Preliminary research shows that although police efforts to assist victims have increased in the last decade, there is a void of information in the field. In addition to identifying and assessing formal victim assistance programs administered by police, the proposed project will also assess procedures implemented by patrol officers, call-takers, dispatchers, crime prevention units, and others. Training and management information systems implemented to improve the police response to victims will also be assessed. The research approach includes interviews with key personnel in 100 police agencies located in jurisdictions with populations of at least 250,000; assessments of 15 programs selected on the basis of replicability, cost, and potential effectiveness; and victim and officer surveys at two to three sites that provide comprehensive services. Approximately 700 victims will be interviewed. The research results will by distributed to the field within 12 months and will contribute significantly to management's ability to determine the feasibility of implementing various services, as well as to structure services to victims in a way that allows systematic evaluations of their outcomes. Appended supplementary information