Getting it right for victims and witnesses

Getting it right for victims and witnesses
Author: Great Britain: Ministry of Justice
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2012-01-30
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780101828826

In December 2010 the Government published a consultation document, 'Breaking the cycle', which proposed wide-ranging reforms to the way in which offenders are sentenced by the courts and are subsequently dealt with in custody and in the community. The Government response to the consultation was published July 2011 and Parliament is currently considering a package of measures set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. This document builds on themes that the Government first articulated in 'Breaking the cycle', in particular the importance of offenders making a greater contribution to putting right the harm they have done to victims of crime. The reforms set out in the document for consultation are based on the following principles: i) practical and emotional support should be given to those who need it most; ii) victims should receive help as and when they need it; iii) services should meet the different needs of communities across the country; offenders should make reparation for the impact of their crimes.

Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance

Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance
Author: U.s. Department of Justice
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2012-06-06
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9781477615720

The Attorney General of the United States and the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime strive to pursue justice for criminal acts and that pursuit includes justice for the victims of and witnesses to crime. The 2011 Edition of the Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance reflects current statutory provisions, recognizes the technological and legal changes that have taken place since the previous Guidelines were promulgated, and incorporates best practices that will benefit victims and enhance investigations and prosecutions.

Ministry of Justice - Code of Practice for Victims of Crime

Ministry of Justice - Code of Practice for Victims of Crime
Author: Great Britain: Ministry of Justice
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 80
Release: 2013-10-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780108512742

This Code of Practice for Victims of Crime forms a key part of the wider Government strategy to transform the criminal justice system by putting victims first, making the system more responsive and easier to navigate. Victims of crime should be treated in a respectful, sensitive and professional manner without discrimination of any kind. They should receive appropriate support to help them, as far as possible, to cope and recover and be protected from re-victimisation. It is important that victims of crime know what information and support is available to them from reporting a crime onwards and who to request help from if they are not getting it. This Code sets out the services to be provided to victims of criminal conduct by criminal justice organisations in England and Wales. Criminal conduct is behaviour constituting a criminal offence under the National Crime Recording Standard. Service providers may provide support and services in line with this Code on a discretionary basis if the offence does not fall under the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) (see the glossary of key terms found at the end of this Code). Non-NCRS offences include drink driving and careless driving. This Code also sets a minimum standard for these services. Criminal justice organisations can choose to offer additional services and victims can choose to receive services tailored to their individual needs that fall below the minimum stand

The Witnesses

The Witnesses
Author: Eric Stover
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2011-06-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 081220378X

In recent years, the world community has demonstrated a renewed commitment to the pursuit of international criminal justice. In 1993, the United Nations established two ad hoc international tribunals to try those responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Ten years later, the International Criminal Court began its operations and is developing prosecutions in its first two cases (Congo and Uganda). Meanwhile, national and hybrid war crimes tribunals have been established in Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, East Timor, Indonesia, Iraq, and Cambodia. Thousands of people have given testimony before these courts. Most have witnessed war crimes, including mass killings, torture, rape, inhumane imprisonment, forced expulsion, and the destruction of homes and villages. For many, testifying in a war crimes trial requires great courage, especially as they are well aware that war criminals still walk the streets of their villages and towns. Yet despite these risks, little attention has been paid to the fate of witnesses of mass atrocity. Nor do we know much about their experiences testifying before an international tribunal or the effect of such testimony on their return to their postwar communities. The first study of victims and witnesses who have testified before an international war crimes tribunal, The Witnesses examines the opinions and attitudes of eighty-seven individuals—Bosnians, Muslims, Serbs, and Croats—who have appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Identifying the Culprit

Identifying the Culprit
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2015-01-16
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0309310628

Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification makes the case that better data collection and research on eyewitness identification, new law enforcement training protocols, standardized procedures for administering line-ups, and improvements in the handling of eyewitness identification in court can increase the chances that accurate identifications are made. This report explains the science that has emerged during the past 30 years on eyewitness identifications and identifies best practices in eyewitness procedures for the law enforcement community and in the presentation of eyewitness evidence in the courtroom. In order to continue the advancement of eyewitness identification research, the report recommends a focused research agenda.

Victims' Rights, Human Rights and Criminal Justice

Victims' Rights, Human Rights and Criminal Justice
Author: Jonathan Doak
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2008-04-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1847314244

In recent times, the idea of 'victims' rights' has come to feature prominently in political, criminological and legal discourse, as well as being subject to regular media comment. The concept nevertheless remains inherently elusive, and there is still considerable ambiguity as to the origin and substance of such rights. This monograph deconstructs the nature and scope of the rights of victims of crime against the backdrop of an emerging international consensus on how victims ought to be treated and the role they ought to play. The essence of such rights is ascertained not only by surveying the plethora of international standards which deal specifically with crime victims, but also by considering the potential cross-applicability of standards relating to victims of abuse of power, with whom they have much in common. In this book Jonathan Doak considers the parameters of a number of key rights which international standards suggest victims ought to be entitled to. He then proceeds to ask whether victims are able to rely upon such rights within a domestic criminal justice system characterised by structures, processes and values which are inherently exclusionary, adversarial and punitive in nature.

Manual for the Measurement of Juvenile Justice Indicators

Manual for the Measurement of Juvenile Justice Indicators
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Publisher: United Nations Publications
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2007
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9789211337617

This publication sets out practical guidance on the use of fifteen indicators of core importance to juvenile justice, developed by UNICEF and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in consultation with non-governmental organisations and individual experts. The indicators have been refined through field-testing in a number of countries and are endorsed by the Interagency Juvenile Justice Panel. The indicators fall into two categorie of quantitative and policy matters, with five core indicators relating to: the number of children in detention; the number of children in pre-sentence detention; the percentage of children sentenced to a custodial sentence; the percentage of children diverted or sentenced who enter a pre-sentence diversion scheme; and the existence of a specialised juvenile justice system.

Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons

Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Publisher: United Nations Publications
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9789211337891

In the light of the urgent need for cooperative and collaborative action against trafficking, this publication presents examples of promising practice from around the world relating to trafficking interventions. It is hoped that the guidance offered, the practices showcased and the resources recommended in this Toolkit will inspire and assist policymakers, law enforcers, judges, prosecutors, victim service providers and members of civil society in playing their role in the global effort against trafficking in persons. The present edition is an updated and expanded version of the Toolkit published in 2006.