Victim Support
Encyclopedia
Victim Support is a charity
in England
and Wales
which aims to help victims and witnesses of crime
by raising awareness of their needs and by delivering dedicated services to them. It was established in 1974. It is a national charity with branches in every community and each criminal court in England and Wales. In 2004-2005 it offered help to around 1.3 million victims and almost 400,000 witnesses. Victim Support delivers three services. In the community Victim Support branches help people in the aftermath of crime by talking over how they are feeling and by providing practical help, such as applying for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
. In the criminal courts Victim Support provides the Witness Service which offers emotional and practical support to all victims, defence and prosecution witnesses, and their family and friends. It also provides Victim Supportline (0845 30 30 900), which is a telephone helpline for victims, witnesses and family and friends of victims and witnesses. Its services are delivered by specially selected and trained volunteers, of which there are around 9,500 in England and Wales.
The charity receives funding from the Ministry of Justice
, and also relies on raising money through corporate and individual donations. Its national centre is in Fitzrovia
, London
. Its currentChief Executive is Javed Khan.
The rights
and needs of victims and witnesses, as distinct from the interests of justice or the rights of the accused have, through the discipline of victimology
become ever more identified over the past thirty years. Victim Support argued in its policy report, Rights for Victims of Crime (1995), that the criminal justice
process treated victims insensitively and that this produced a negative impact on the victim. This process is known as re-victimisation. The report set out five basic rights for victims: the right to compensation; to provide and receive information about the case; to be respected and treated with dignity; to be free from the burden of making decisions relating to the treatment of the accused; and to be protected.
In 2002 the charity published Criminal neglect: no justice beyond criminal justice, which called for services across healthcare, housing
and finance
to respond more effectively to victims' and witnesses' needs. In particular, it has argued for a more sensitive approach from healthcare workers, for reform to the compensation
system for victims, and also for a more effective means of relocating after a crime.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
which aims to help victims and witnesses of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
by raising awareness of their needs and by delivering dedicated services to them. It was established in 1974. It is a national charity with branches in every community and each criminal court in England and Wales. In 2004-2005 it offered help to around 1.3 million victims and almost 400,000 witnesses. Victim Support delivers three services. In the community Victim Support branches help people in the aftermath of crime by talking over how they are feeling and by providing practical help, such as applying for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. The Authority administers a compensation scheme for injuries caused to victims of violent crime in Great Britain and is funded by the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales and the devolved...
. In the criminal courts Victim Support provides the Witness Service which offers emotional and practical support to all victims, defence and prosecution witnesses, and their family and friends. It also provides Victim Supportline (0845 30 30 900), which is a telephone helpline for victims, witnesses and family and friends of victims and witnesses. Its services are delivered by specially selected and trained volunteers, of which there are around 9,500 in England and Wales.
The charity receives funding from the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public...
, and also relies on raising money through corporate and individual donations. Its national centre is in Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia is a neighbourhood in central London, near London's West End lying partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the City of Westminster ; and situated between Marylebone and Bloomsbury and north of Soho. It is characterised by its mixed-use of residential, business, retail,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Its currentChief Executive is Javed Khan.
The rights
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
and needs of victims and witnesses, as distinct from the interests of justice or the rights of the accused have, through the discipline of victimology
Victimology
Victimology is the scientific study of victimization, including the relationships between victims and offenders, the interactions between victims and the criminal justice system — that is, the police and courts, and corrections officials — and the connections between victims and other social groups...
become ever more identified over the past thirty years. Victim Support argued in its policy report, Rights for Victims of Crime (1995), that the criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
process treated victims insensitively and that this produced a negative impact on the victim. This process is known as re-victimisation. The report set out five basic rights for victims: the right to compensation; to provide and receive information about the case; to be respected and treated with dignity; to be free from the burden of making decisions relating to the treatment of the accused; and to be protected.
In 2002 the charity published Criminal neglect: no justice beyond criminal justice, which called for services across healthcare, housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
and finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
to respond more effectively to victims' and witnesses' needs. In particular, it has argued for a more sensitive approach from healthcare workers, for reform to the compensation
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
system for victims, and also for a more effective means of relocating after a crime.