NCJ Number
113954
Editor(s)
M Maguire,
J Pointing
Date Published
1988
Length
224 pages
Annotation
Nineteen commissioned essays focus on the problem of and the response to crime victims in Great Britain and the politics of victimization, particularly in Great Britain.
Abstract
The first section of papers covers various forms of criminal victimization and efforts to reduce its incidence and impact. The types of victimization discussed in detail include sexual and other violence against both women and children, racial attacks and harassment, crimes against the elderly, and 'multiple victimization.' The primary community responses discussed are those provided by Victims Support Schemes, the largest British organization established to provide support and assistance for crime victims. Also included is a description of a rape crisis center, which provides a service inspired by a radical feminist philosophy. Another perspective is provided by a mental health professional involved in counseling or therapy for the most seriously affected rape victims. The second section of papers covers wider issues in services for crime victims, opening with an overview of the competing ideologies behind the 'victims movement' in all its manifestations. Two chapters discuss victim surveys and their political use, and another considers the entry of victims issues into party politics in Great Britain. The general issue of whether services to victims should be based on a 'needs' or a 'rights' model is discussed. Other chapters address the difficulties in getting British criminal justice agencies to respond to crime victims in a coordinated way and international advances in victims' rights and services and their implementation in 'trail-blazing' countries. 420-item bibliography, subject index.