NCJ Number
181418
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on two pilot projects aimed at improving communications between victims and criminal justice agencies.
Abstract
The two projects -- One Stop Shop and Victim Statements -- were intended to keep victims informed about progress in selected cases and to give victims a chance to describe the impact of the crime upon them. The evaluation examined the reasons why victims opted in or out of these initiatives, levels of satisfaction of those who opted in, and the uses made of victim statements by criminal justice agencies. More than three-quarters of victims opting in to the One Stop Shop did so to learn about developments in their cases or because they felt it was their right to know. Both initiatives often raised unrealistic expectations. Victim statement objectives need to be clearer. Some victims believed their Statement would affect sentencing more than was ever likely to happen. Victim statements had no effect on bail and prosecution decisions and rarely influenced sentencing. When they did, the information they contained could be collected more easily and accurately by other means. Tables, references