Rural Victims (From National Victim Assistance Academy, P 22.6.1 - 22.6.8, 2000, Anne Seymour, Morna Murray, eds. et al., -- See NCJ 184052)

• NCJ Number: 184083
• Author(s): Harvey Wallace
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 8 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; OVC Resource Ctr
• Publication Series: OVC Others
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter examines the unique challenges to providing victim services in rural/remote areas.

Abstract

Eighty percent of the United States is geographically designated as rural/remote. Although rural crime rates have traditionally been lower than urban crime rates, patterns of rural crime now indicate the exporting of urban problems to rural areas in addition to the problems unique to rural areas. Federal crime victims who reside in rural areas often must travel long distances to a Federal courthouse and, like other victims, must face lack of understanding of the impact of distance as well as lack of support services. In addition, rural Federal crime victims often are skeptical about seeking assistance from the U.S. Attorney, considering that he is really not “one of the locals.” Also, many victims prefer to handle informally, among themselves, cases of, for example, shoplifting and employee theft. The chapter elaborates on the problems and issues relevant to providing basic victim services in rural/remote areas, concerns of specific victim populations in rural/remote areas (victims in Indian Country, victims of domestic violence and campus crime victims) and potential solutions and practices to meet the needs of victims in rural/remote areas.