Description
Who are the victims of crime? What rights do they have? What services do they need? This collection of specially commissioned essays brings together a wealth of experience and new thinking about these increasingly important questions. Edited by an experienced criminological researcher and a leading practitioner in the victim services field, the book draws together contributions from pioneers in the 'victims movement and top criminologists in universities and government departments.
Challenging and constructive, the book presents alternatives to conventional assumptions about victimization and criminal justice. It identifies types of crime- some relatively hidden from official view-which can cause serious or lasting harm to victims, and points the way to reducing their impact. Several chapters are devoted to especially vulnerable groups - the elderly, women, children, 'multiple victims' in deprived areas, and the targets of racist attacks. Others look at responses in Britain and overseas- the work of Rape Crisis Centres and Victims Support Schemes, the attitudes of police and courts, the policies of political parties, the contribution of crime surveys, and the views of academic researchers. The book is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the problems of crime and victims.
ISBN: 0335155669
