Services to Victims and Witnesses of Crime in Canada

• NCJ Number: 80627
• Author(s): G Norquay; R Weiler
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 175 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Canada Solicitor General
• Corporate Author: Canadian Council on Social Development
• Sale Source: Canada Solicitor General; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Directory
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: Available in English and French versions.

Annotation

This study documents the emerging system of services to Canadian crime vicitims and assesses the impact of growing concern about victims on public and voluntary policies and programs.

Abstract

The study's objectives are to identify and analyze current trends and programs in victim assistance; to consider the relevance of key service trends and models evolving in other countries, particularly the United States; and to identify possible adjustments to existing policies and programs. A questionnaire of some 800 public and voluntary criminal justice and social development agencies permitted the identification of five broad types of services -- those that (1) deal with the crisis of victimization; (2) assist victims and witnesses in participating effectively in the criminal justice system while protecting their rights; (3) aim at compensating victims for personal damages; (4) aim at achieving restitution, reconciliation, or both, between the offender and the victim; and (5) refer victims to appropriate existing services. The development of a variety of victim/witness assistance programs in the United States has had a considerable influence on Canada. However, individual features of the two countries require that Canada modify these programs. These features include the differences in the crime rates and nature of crime, the greater responsibility of the Provinces than the States to determine service design and delivery, the more subtle role played by the Canadian Federal Government in program development, the Canadian system of appointing judges and prosecutors, and the greater consistency in policing in Canada. Future issues in the development of Canadian services include the need for a national focal point, possible extension of crime compensation to property crimes, Federal funding criteria, and definition of the police role. A study questionnaire and service definitions, an inventory of Canadian victim/witness services, and an annotated bibliography of 29 references are appended. (Author abstract modified)