NCJ Number
242401
Date Published
2012
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This fact sheet, developed by the Council of State Governments and the American Probation and Parole Association, presents data on the promising role that community corrections can play in providing services to victims of violent crime.
Abstract
This fact sheet addresses the needs of victims of violent crime and shows how community corrections efforts, specifically programs offered by probation and parole agencies, can improve the services and treatment offered to these individuals. It is noted that victims of violent crime often share the same needs as convicted offenders: information on the status of their case, information on the status and location of the perpetrator, acknowledgement and enforcement of their rights according to State laws, and information about the condition of the offender's community supervision. Over the past two decades, efforts on the part of probation and parole agencies to develop partnerships with victim assistance and community corrections professionals have improved the provision of services to victims. These improvements include an increased awareness of victims' rights as seen by the passage of laws that protect victims' rights at the Federal, State, and local levels; implementation of victims' rights and services in community corrections settings; the development of specialized units within community corrections agencies that focus on specific types of crimes and convicted offenders; ongoing and enhanced training for community corrections personnel; and improved collaboration and partnerships between victim advocates and community corrections professionals. Examples of these improvements are discussed in the fact sheet. The document indicates that by improving services to victims of violent crime, community corrections agencies can help not only victims but can also reduce recidivism risk among convicted offenders. Figures and references