NCJ Number
121025
Date Published
1989
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The Victims of Offenses Act 1987 requires the Government of New Zealand to establish the Victims Task Force for the purpose of considering a wide range of issues relating to the victims of crime; however the Act is a statement of principle that is non-enforceable and carries no remedies against non-compliance.
Abstract
Although the Task Force is not yet involved in community-based support programs, several districts have developed their own program, in cooperation with local police or independently. Information, including education, training, and consultation, is a primary goal; guidelines for standards and procedures to provide medical care or legal assistance for victims must be established. A pamphlet on the Act is being prepared for public dissemination, as is a video on the victim's guide to the court process. The Task Force is working with the New Zealand Police to develop a traning program and has drafted a national standard victim impact statement, which will be acceptable to the judiciary, legal profession, prosecution, and victim. This draft will be tested in several police districts, and the results used to develop firmer procedures. The Task Force will prepare a position paper regarding the payment of costs for the preparation of victim impact statements and special support procedures have been developed to provide information to the public and to university students. Other areas in which the Task Force has been involved include reparations and fines, statistical data collection, the Working Party on Funding for Sexual Abuse Counseling, a workshop on the abuse and neglect of the elderly, and plans for the development of other programs from cultural perspectives.