Victims and the Criminal Justice System: The Vagaries of Integration

Abstract

In the U.S., some claim victim integration into criminal justice is nearly complete, as evidenced by the implementation of various victim rights and service programs nationwide. Others claim integration has been scarcely realized, as evidenced by the practices associated with these rights and programs. A question that subsequently emerges is not simply which claim is more accurate, but rather how is the success or failure of integrative efforts to be determined. Success defined by the presence of victim rights and service programs ignores operational realities, whereas failure defined by those realities has focused on the contrary state of victim participation in criminal justice decision-making. This particular empirical focus overlooks a host of other operational realities by which to assess success or failure. The current study reports on certain of these neglected realities, namely the role of criminal justice in facilitating service delivery, and criminal justice perspectives on victim service needs and victims. These perspectives are examined using survey data obtained from 893 criminal justice officials (law enforcement officers, judges, state's attorneys, and probation officers) from a large Florida County. The findings show the integration process is still wanting in the following respects: criminal justice perceptions of victims are often negative, criminal justice knowledge of victims services is lacking, and victim service delivery is highly fragmented. The meaning and policy implications of these findings are also discussed.