Criminal Justice System December 5, 2011
•Pick up essay
Victims
•Roles, rationales
•Services, needs
•Recent innovations
•Victims want back in the system
Clarke: roles of victim/state
Victim
•Raw material
•Give evidence
•Symbolic presence
State
•Provide justice, moderation, rationality
•Preserve order
•Only power left for victim is to report crime-most don’t
•Depends on what type of crime. Sexual assault is rarely reported
•Victims don’t think criminal justice system will provide a response – frustrated or
anger
•Anger and frustration led to victim rights movement
•Victim rights movement developed in the 70s – started due to fear of crime and
people wanted to have control
•Women’s rights movement contributed to victim movement
Victims Rights movement
•Being left out=anger/frustration, wanting back in
•Poor treatment by police/courts
•Fear of crime
•Law and order movement in U.S.
•Women’s right movement
•Self-help movement
•Loss of faith in government that they cant do their jobs
•Humanitarian concerns- workers compensation
•Restitution
•These factors all contributed to the victim rights movement
•Victims are heterogeneous – needs aren’t universal
•Different types of victims
•No one organization that helps every person/type of victimization
•No consensus on how to improve criminal justice responses to victims