NCJ Number
187746
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 17-30
Date Published
February 2001
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article develops a conceptual framework about the barriers to children's access to professional victim services.
Abstract
The framework addresses: (1) the reluctance to define the crime episodes involving child victims or their consequences as serious, criminal, harmful, or warranting intervention; (2) the extra authorities, including parents and schools, who mediate between victims and police or services; (3) developmental issues, such as concerns about autonomy; (4) attitudinal and emotional obstacles; and (5) time and expense factors. The article suggests the need for initiatives to stimulate reporting and help seeking, such as more publicity about the seriousness of juvenile victimization, more justice system involvement with schools, more child- and family-friendly police services, and an emphasis on attractive outcomes such as justice and empowerment. The article concludes that there should be more research on use of justice system resources for child victims of crime. As society struggles to provide some measure of justice and healing to that group, the article deems it hard to think of any topic in which new research and analysis would have more immediate policy and practice applications. Tables, figure, references