Violence Prevention Through Victim Assistance: Helping people Escape the Web of Violence (From Victims of Crime, P 183-193, 1997, Robert C. Davis, Arthur A. Lurigio, et al., eds. - See NCJ-167360)

• NCJ Number: 167370
• Author(s): L N Friedman; S B Tucker
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Victim assistance programs can reduce the risk of violent revictimization among people who experience repeated injury or start using violence against others by helping victims recover from the trauma of violence and lead safer lives.

Abstract

Many violence prevention efforts focus on alleviating broad social conditions and high-risk behaviors. Although victim assistance after the fact may appear to come too late to make communities safer, victim services can address both the socioeconomic context and the victim's personal history of violence. After a crime, victims are especially motivated to make changes in their own behavior and surroundings to reduce the risk of future violence. Victim services suggest a promising strategy for helping people break free from repeated victimization and reducing the incidence of crime. These services can include hotlines, support groups, counseling, housing, safety strategies, job training, economic supports, opportunities for activism, and other efforts. Those who work with the victims of violence need to recognize that their task is not merely to assist recovery but is also to reduce the risk of future injury. Finally, when victims build on their recovery by becoming involved in violence prevention efforts, they further extend the preventive benefits of victim assistance by creating a powerful new influence for strengthening the safety of their communities. Note and 33 references