Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 64

IN THIS CHAPTER

Noting the lack of victim services in past decades

Recognizing the many types of scars victims have

Identifying the likeliest victims

Applauding recent efforts to support victims

The human toll of crime is enormous. Victims often suffer dramatic personal loss, tremendous pain, and lots of economic hardship. While the entire U.S. court system was originally set up to protect a defendant’s rights, historically, victims have received no institutionalized assistance at all. They’ve been left to fend for themselves, sometimes with no way to pay medical bills or even to get someone to explain how the justice system works. But thanks to some forward-thinking folks in the 1970s and 1980s, a victims’ rights movement has swept across the United States. Today, victims are front and center in the minds of politicians and policymakers.

In this chapter, I discuss the historical treatment of victims in the criminal justice system. I discuss victimization, starting with the different types of harm that a victim can suffer. I also help you get a better idea of who is more likely to become a victim of crime. Then I address how far U.S. society has come and describe the types of services that are available to victims today.