The Needs and Rights of Victims of Crime

The "victims' movement" can claim considerable success in putting the interests of crime victims on the political agenda in North America and Europe. Pioneering groups of volunteers and activists laid the groundwork for financial, practical, and psychological support services that are now funded by government on a significant scale. In the United States, legislation creates rights for victims to participate in the criminal justice process. It has not been firmly established how many (and what kinds of) victims are seriously in need of assistance, or what form this should take: research findings are contradictory and confusing, plagued by methodological and definitional problems. Service delivery also presents difficult dilemmas because many victims will not ask for help; high take-up rates emerge only when a personal approach is made. Although there is evidence of high levels of client satisfaction with victim services, research has not established that service provision greatly affects recovery from the effects of crime.