Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 76

Although government-run victim programs are the conduit for providing services to victims, nonprofit organizations provide the day-in and day-out crucial help that victims need.

For instance, private organizations almost always run the domestic violence shelters to which government-employed victim advocates send abused women. These private, nonprofit organizations are made up of citizens who care passionately about victims of crime. They fund their efforts with private donations, public and private grants, and contracts with the government.

Without these private services, a victim advocate often would have nowhere to refer a victim. Note, however, that nonprofit care providers (and government-run victim assistance offices) have little money and rely heavily on volunteers to provide services such as the following:

 Answering phone hotlines (such as rape, domestic violence, or suicide lines)

 Providing crisis response — immediate, in-the-field care to victims

 Helping with victim compensation

 Accompanying a victim to court

 Accompanying police or other officials when notifying a family member of a death

 Helping to run the service provider’s office

 Securing address confidentiality for the victim to make sure a criminal doesn’t learn the victim’s new address

 Preparing meals for shelter residents