Victims

The Issue

The release of any particular individual will likely have an immediate and direct impact on many people in the community, including victims, neighbors, friends, and family members. Information collected during intake to the facility about prisoner's personal relationships and responsibilities, and the risks that they may present to victims and others, can inform individual programming plans for the period of incarceration.

Challenges

• Criminal justice system officials' lack of familiarity with state law affording victims particular rights and services upon a person's reentry
• Contact information for crime victims is often missing or unavailable
• Failure to assess restitution, or, when restitution is ordered, failure to implement a reasonable payment schedule
• Understanding the particularly complex needs of crime victims who have or have had a personal relationship with the offender
• Incorrect perception among some criminal justice officials that victims are too grief-stricken or vengeful to participate in the reentry process
• Overburdened corrections and community corrections agencies that, given their limited resources, may not prioritize victims' needs
• Understaffed victim advocacy organizations