Which of the Following Groups of Individuals Can Talk With a Victim in Full Confidentiality?
Department Carte
- Impacts of Crime
- What is a Victim-Centered Approach?
- Essential Practices: What Helps? What Hurts?
- Supervision Tools
- Different Crimes, Unlike Strategies
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Crime is pervasive and has an adverse bear on on millions of people. According to the U.S. Agency of Justice Statistics, in 2014:
- 20.7 one thousand thousand people were victimized past vehement or property offense.
- ane.3 million people were injured as a result of a tearing law-breaking
- 68 percent of victims of serious violence experienced socio-emotional problems as a outcome of their victimization. [17]
For more information on Crime Victimization, visit the Agency of Justice Statistics.
Criminal offense statistics, still, can tell only part of the story. Each person who is victimized by crime has to live with the impact that it has on his or her life; physically, emotionally, financially, socially, and
spiritually, all of which may have long-term implications (Figure two). Furthermore, crime victims are frequently victimized by a criminal justice organisation that does not meet their needs.[eighteen] In fact, it is non uncommon for criminal offense victims to feel like they are somehow being blamed for what happened to them and questioned about their behaviors before or after the victimization. They may take had little opportunity to express their feelings nigh what happened or to share their thoughts about what should happen next. [19] Every bit a PPO, you may be in a position to hear their concerns and take them into account in your supervision efforts.
Impacts of Criminal offense
Non all victims take the same reaction to a criminal offense, or the same needs. It is important to remember that every crime victim is unique, and in that location are no reactions that are common to all criminal offence victims. A person's response tin can vary depending on many things: the person'south life before the law-breaking occurred, the crime itself, their perceived experience with law enforcement and justice professionals, the person'south level of resiliency, the degree of social back up they receive or don't receive, the outcome of any criminal case, etc. Offense victims can experience immediate, brusque-term and long-term impacts.
The ecological view of trauma (Figure 3) highlights the diverse factors that can touch someone's response to a trauma such as crime. [twenty] It identifies three major aspects that influence the crime's touch on the victim:
"I don't think a lot of PPOs have the opportunity to fully understand the experience of the victim. The bulk of [offenses] are drugs, burglaries, substance corruption. Yous don't take the opportunity to really sit with a victim and empathize the impact." |
- Person: the victim's attributes, including personal traits, personal history, and the relationship between the victim and individual.
- Event: the when, how, and where of the crime itself. The crime may have happened once or was recurring (when), the perpetrator might accept used violence or there may accept been multiple perpetrators (how), it could take occurred in public or in the privacy of one's home (where).
- Environment: the community and support system, including community supervision agencies, surrounding the victim. The community can include the immediate neighborhood or those in some other country. For instance, PPO's may be working with victims living in other jurisdictions, all the same, that PPO is nonetheless part of the victim's environment. The environment consists of the community'due south resources, response, and shared values.
Community supervision agencies fit into the environment, under "quality of customs response." Community response refers to how those surrounding the victim react to the crime. It can include loved ones of the victim or those the victim has never met, similar people reading about the crime in a paper or a probation officer beginning a pre-release investigation. As mentioned previously, victims often experience disillusioned by the criminal justice process. PPOs can hold supervisees accountable and address victims' concerns by listening to the victim and acknowledging that many factors influence his or her needs.
"When I had a general caseload, and I'm beingness honest here, a victim would phone call me, and I didn't really have empathy well-nigh it, until I collection all the way to (a town nearby) to meet with a victim. She was a victim of a sexual assail. This poor girl was sexually assaulted at a very young age and meeting her and so seeing what she went through for the side by side 10 years until the guy was bedevilled, that was powerful for me. So, that twenty-four hours, realizing what impact that had on her, my whole view of how victims are treated completely changed. I don't think that a lot of PPOs have that opportunity to fully sympathise where that victim is coming from." |
What is a Victim-Centered Approach?
- A victim-centered approach is based on the thought that each victim has a dissimilar set of needs and there is no one-size-fits-all arroyo to working with victims. Given the long-lasting impacts of crime, it is of import that we consider this approach in customs corrections. A victim-centered approach:
- Actively seeks victims' input and inclusion in the community corrections process.
- Respects and reflects victim autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality.
- Recognizes how victims are impacted, how to place their most of import needs, and how to come across those needs.
- Focuses on their rubber and well being every bit a priority.
- Is trauma-informed and actively works to reduce re-traumatization.
- Is non-judgmental.
- Recognizes that the victim is a stakeholder.
- Guides policy evolution.
Partnering with victims and victim service providers can promote positive justice organisation outcomes, aid improve community condom, and reduce backsliding rates.
For PPOs, including victim input can come as a result of direct or indirect contact with victims.
Essential Practices: What Helps? What Hurts?
"It is important for the victim to feel comfortable communicating with the PPO to help monitor that things are going okay or not. Everything is intensified when the perpetrator is related to the victim! There are cases where contact in some mode or another is likely to happen, so the PPO needs to exist aware of this." |
Be prepared to acquire that what victims say they need may non be what yous think they demand. If a victim contacts yous, the about important footstep is to Listen to what they accept to say. Asking the victim what they demandis important.
There are some global things you can do as a PPO to assist victims and reduce harm as they recover from the trauma of the crime. Some of these things are outlined in Figure X, below.
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In speaking with victims, effort to avoid using generalizations and comparing them to other victims. While crimes may exist similar, each victim's circumstances and their reactions to the crime are unique. Attempt to keep an open mind and to listen to their stories with empathy. Request open-concluded questions ("What do you lot demand?" "Are you condom?") is ever a practiced place to beginning. Being non-judgmental and willing to listen goes a long manner.
The following figures give some examples of some helpful language to use or to avoid when talking with victims.
HELPFUL THINGS TO SAY TO VICTIMS | THINGS Not TO SAY TO VICTIMS |
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AVOID | |
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Dealing with Disclosures of Trauma and/or Victimization
In your role as a PPO, you will likely run into disclosures of trauma and victimization from either the victim or the person you are supervising. This can be challenging and exit y'all with questions of how to answer in a way that minimizes farther harm. The following tips, created by Alyssa Benedict for the 2022 APPA National Training Plant, are intended to guide you lot in effectively responding to disclosures:
[21]
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Supervision Tools
In that location are a number of tools that you may use to enhance your supervision efforts that victims may have questions about. Two of these tools are risk assessments and electronic monitoring
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Electronic Monitoring
If you are using some grade of electronic monitoring as role of your supervision, it is important to clearly explain to the victim the blazon of monitoring you are using (whether it be Radio Frequency monitoring or GPS monitoring), what factors go into making monitoring decisions, and whether or not the victim can have input into the parameters of what is being monitored. If victims have questions, you can explain the benefits and limitations of the monitoring technologies being used.
Risk/Needs Assessments
Risk/needs assessments are a common tool used to better allocate people who take committed crimes, determine an appropriate level of supervision, and inform decisions regarding conditions of supervision, release, sanctions, and revocation. Victims of crime, all the same, may know very trivial nigh them and why and how they are used. If you use adventure/needs assessment tools to inform your supervision decisions, it may exist helpful to explain what the tools are, the take chances factors they measures, and how you utilise the information in your work.
Dissimilar Crimes, Different Strategies
It is also important to remember that every case is unique, and that supervision strategies and communications with victims will vary and volition be specific to each instance. Part of understanding a victim'southward needs and experiences is agreement the possible impact of various crimes and knowing the national and local resources that you tin refer to in lodge to ameliorate encounter the needs of victims.
Intimate Partner Violence
Domestic violence,(also known equally intimate partner violence (IPV) is mutual in all communities and crosses age, gender, geography, socioeconomic, indigenous, race, sexual orientation, and religious lines. These cases can pose some of the most challenging situations for supervision. Victims may have elevated condom concerns that you will need to know about, and at the same fourth dimension, they may be request for contact or reunification.
Your supervision efforts tin can be enhanced, by increasing your agreement of the unique dynamics of IPV, the complex needs of victims, and the safety implications of reentry and customs supervision. Contact your area's domestic violence coalition or services plan to find out about training opportunities in your surface area and cheque out the post-obit resource for a comprehensive manual on community corrections and domestic violence:
Supervision considerations
Supervision for domestic violence cases needs to center around:
- enhancing victim rubber, and
- increasing accountability
Often in that location will be ongoing direct or indirect contact between the victim and the perpetrator, even when the courtroom or releasing say-so has ordered no contact. This is especially true when they accept children together.
A victim's reaction to release and reentry will vary from one victim to the next. They may exist fearful of what will happen when their family member returns to the community, and at the same time might be looking forward to having their family back together. It is important to understand that victims of domestic violence ofttimes struggle with how to all-time keep themselves and their loved ones safe and part of their rubber planning may include structured reunification efforts.
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In IPV cases it is of import to:
- Conduct a comprehensive cess of the case, including reviewing victim impact statements, court records and gamble cess results.
- Enforce special conditions of release such equally no-contact orders, no weapons, no drugs, and sometimes enhanced monitoring through GPS or domicile confinement.
- Participate in victimsafety planning effortswhen advisable, peculiarly regarding reentry.
Victim Notification in IPV Cases
In cases of IPV, victim notification has to be handled with extra care so victims tin brand well-informed decisions about their safety. Contacting a victim of IPV needs to be done in a way that does non put a victim at greater run a risk of harm. The best recommendation is that you should ask the victims what the safest method of notification is and follow his or her lead. If gamble to the victim increases, yous must attempt to notify the victim of the potential danger.
Telephoning and emailing victims should be approached with intendance every bit engineering, such as caller ID, may go far impossible to anonymously contact the victim. Even if y'all block your number, incoming calls may be monitored. Before picking upwards the telephone, consider the rubber risks and plan accordingly.
Family Reunification
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When preparing for reentry and possible family reunification, you may need to interview the victim for a better understanding of past abuse and the likelihood that information technology could happen again. If this is needed, with the victim's permission, information technology is often helpful to have an advocate sit in on the interview.
If both parties want to reunify simply there is a no-contact gild in place, you will need to explain that reunification is not possible at this time. In improver, you can hash out possible options that exist to request a change in court order and provide information and referral to advocates who could aid with planning efforts.
The good news is that there is help as y'all do this difficult piece of work. Every jurisdiction has a statewide domestic violence coalition and local agencies that provide services and support to victims of IPV.
Partnering with Agencies
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Whenever possible, link victims with community-based domestic violence organizations. Familiarize yourself with the services available in your jurisdiction. Victims may do good from core services offered by domestic violence organizations. These services include:
- 24-hour crisis lines
- Counseling
- Back up groups
- Court and legal advocacy
- Shelter and transitional housing
- Safety planning
Recommendations
- Maintain frequent communication with the victim and solicit their input
- Recommend that the victim develop a prophylactic programme – at that place are advancement groups that can assist the victim in this process
- Provide every bit much information as is legally possible every bit to the status of the person under supervision, applicative provisions of release, and how the victim can and should respond in the case of a violation
- Contact your area'due south domestic violence coalition or services programme to find out about training opportunities in your surface area and to obtain referral materials
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Rape/Sexual Set on
In sexual attack cases, information technology is important to bear a comprehensive review of the instance file prior to supervision or reentry including reviewing input from the victim either through the victim impact statements, court records, risk assessment results, and/or interviewing the victim straight. Sexual assault victims may accept concerns about their safe, and specifically, living in the same community equally the person who assaulted them. When this is the case, these concerns should be taken into account when decisions are made near where the individual under supervision will be living. If they will be returning to the aforementioned community, victims may need support in developing a rubber plan or relocating.
Yous may choose to ask the victim where they are currently living or working in lodge to preclude or limit as much contact equally possible. If you are request for this information it is essential to ensure that information technology remains confidential.
Victims may demand assistance in:
- Agreement the sex activity offender registration requirements for your jurisdiction.
- Accessing information about what back up services are available.
- Agreement any special conditions of release such equally no contact with victims, no contact with minors, attention specialized treatment programs, limiting internet access, and restrictions on where they can live and what will happen if these conditions are not met.
Partnering with Agencies
Victims of sexual set on may do good from information on support services that are offered past advancement organizations. Services often include: 24-hour crisis and support lines, support groups, counseling, hospital accessory, court accompaniment, and legal advancement services.
In improver, many communities take coordinated Sexual Attack Response Teams (SARTs), besides known as Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), which are interdisciplinary teams consisting of law enforcement, sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs), advocates, prosecutors and other allied professionals including community corrections that work together to support a positive criminal justice response to sexual violence. If a SART exists in your area, consider reaching out to join their squad or participate in grooming provided by the program.
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
Some individuals on your caseload may have been victims of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, or sexual assault. For some of them this may have happened prior to their justice involvement. For others their victimization may have occurred while they were in custody. This will add together complexity to your efforts to supervise them, as they may not have received any services to address their victimization. It is important that you lot gain at least a general understanding of the neurobiology of trauma so that you tin be alert to signs and symptoms, and as important that you know who/where to refer them to for victim support services. Additionally, you may be the first person they disclose to and therefore you may have an obligation nether thePrison house Rape Elimination Act (PREA) to report this disclosure. For more information on PREA click hither.
Recommendations
You should:
- Familiarize yourself with the services bachelor in your jurisdiction.
- Consider when working with rape/sexual assault victims that confidentiality is fundamental. Information should exist kept in a secure location and not left on a desk in view of the supervisee.
- Link victims with community-based sexual set on organizations.
- Familiarize yourself with your local Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) if 1 exists.
- Consider, with victim'south agreement, inviting community-based sexual assault organizations to victim safe planning meetings.
Stalking
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Stalking is different from other forms of violence in that it can include behaviors which may appear unthreatening to others, merely which incite fright in a victim due to the context in which the behavior occurs. Stalking isn't always physical; it can be primarily psychological and include control, intimidation, and humiliation.
It'south of import to understand the impact of stalking on victims. In a national survey of stalking victims:
- 46 per centum of victims were afraid of not knowing what would happen next.
- 1 in 8 employed victims lost time from work, and more half lost five days or more.
- 22 percent of victims changed their day-to-day activities.[22]
Stalking is an obsessive beliefs and often not deterred past incarceration. Many jurisdictions have achieved successful results with approaches that include regular contact with victims and reduced caseloads for probation/parole officers undertaking the high-level of supervision necessary for individuals who committed stalking offenses.[23]
Victims may exist hesitant to communicate due to fear or anxiety. Using an advocacy group contact or other third party may be necessary. Many victims adjust their schedules and lives as a result of stalking: changing routines, jobs, fifty-fifty identities as a consequence of their experiences.
Recommendations
- Consider that stalking victims may need a variety of services, including counseling, housing assistance, and mental health services.
- Maintain frequent communication with the victim and solicit victim input.
- Encourage the victim to study anything out of the ordinary, fifty-fifty if it is something they can't prove or that may seem insignificant to others.
- Maintain strict confidentiality, every bit the utmost importance for victim rubber and peace of mind.
- Recommend that the victim develop a safety plan – there are advocacy groups that tin can help the victim in this process.
- Provide as much information as is legally possible as to the status of the person under supervision, applicable provisions of release, and how the victim tin can and should respond in the case of a violation.
Homicide
The loss of a loved one through an deed of homicide is one of the most traumatic events that can happen to someone. It can securely impact the emotional, physical, spiritual, and fiscal wellbeing of surviving friends and family members.These survivors are generally referred to equally "co-victims" of the homicide, due to the devastating touch the crime has on their lives. [24] Homicide is sudden, fierce, and oft deliberate. It robs the co-victims of whatever fourth dimension or opportunity to say adieu to their loved ones. They are often left with questions that can never be answered. What happened to their loved one? Why did this happen? What could they take done to forbid it? Were they in pain? Co-victims feel a complex range of reactions to the homicide, including shock, disbelief, anger, anxiety, depression, and traumatic grief which can intensify over time, particularly if they do not get support in working through the grief. For example, parents of murdered children are twice as likely to develop Mail service-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than parents of children who die accidentally. [25] No amount of justice, restitution, bounty, or regret can ever bring the loved one back.
A majority of homicides are committed by someone known to the victim. That means that surviving family unit members often had a relationship with both the victim and their murderer; this adds even more complexity to their grief. Sometimes, the family fellow member was likewise threatened, or has a meaning fright that the individual might impale them too. It is of import to work with co-victims equally you would with any other victim of crime. Provide them information, support, and resource, and ensure that their victim rights are enforced.
Recommendations
- Make up one's mind the level of involvement that co-victims wish to have during reentry or supervision.
- Include information from victim bear upon statements submitted by co-victims in presentence investigations, atmospheric condition of release/supervision, and safety planning efforts.
- Familiarize yourself with the resources available in your jurisdiction for homicide co-victims.
- If contacted by a co-victim of homicide, you can help by listening, expressing business organisation, and providing resources if requested.
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Human Trafficking
Victims of human being trafficking, both children and adults, oftentimes experience physical and psychological harm every bit a result of trafficking crimes. In improver, it is not uncommon for trafficking victims to have been arrested themselves, frequently on charges related to prostitution, solicitation, and drugs. You may finish up with both traffickers and/or victims of sex trafficking on your supervision caseload. In either case, information technology is of import to notation that many victims may be distrustful of anyone who is role of a criminal justice organization and may be reluctant to speak with you. [26]
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Victims of homo trafficking need a similar level of support equally victims of intimate partner violence. They may have comparable hesitation to share information due to connected loyalty towards their trafficker. They may non identify as a victim at all, or may experience difficulty overcoming feelings of shame or self-blame.
[27]
Recommendations:
Human trafficking victims are ofttimes taught to distrust and avoid anyone continued to law enforcement. Overcoming this barrier is important to protecting the victim from further corruption.
- Clinch the victim of their rubber and the availability of supports and resources.
- Put victims in touch with advancement groups. This can be the commencement step towards connecting victims with other survivors.
- Maintain open and non-judgmental communication with the victim, using an advocate or other 3rd party with proficient knowledge of trafficking if need be
- Consider that trafficking victims may need many services including mental health services, social services, drug counseling, medical care, and housing assist.
Detest Crimes
Detest crimes, also known equally bias crimes, are crimes that are motivated, in whole or in part, by hatred against a victim's actual or perceived race, faith, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, or inability. Because the crime is an attack on the victim's identity, they may feel a high level of trauma.
Hate crimes impact not but the individual targeted by the crime, merely the victim'due south community every bit well, inciting fear, anger, and suspicion.
For victims of a hate criminal offence, agreement that there are resources specific to their identity group can be a major source of support.
Recommendation:
- Know local resources for the populations within your customs, such equally advocacy groups, religious organizations, translators, and other culturally specific service providers.
Gang Violence
The FBI's National Gang Threat Assessment report in 2011 showed there were more than 33,000 active gangs on the streets and in prisons.[28] Gang violence may include other types of crimes such as sexual assail or homicide. Victims of gang violence may be fearful of retaliation or experience ongoing threats or intimidation.
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Victims of gang violence can benefit from services including crunch intervention, support groups, and other community services.
Recommendations:
- Connect with neighborhood and culturally specific customs resources.
- Consider proposing the germination of an anti-gang job strength or unit of measurement if one does non already be within your jurisdiction.
Financial Crimes
Victims of non-violent crimes are oftentimes overlooked for services but may still need support. Even when crimes are not-violent, there nevertheless may be harm or trauma associated with a criminal offense. Victims of fraud, theft, or other fiscal crimes may experience depression, loss of trust, and other adverse psychological effects. Additionally, the financial damage caused by the crime may be substantial, leading to an increased need for support in collecting restitution payments.
Recommendations
- Piece of work with victims of financial offense as you would with whatever other victim of crime.
- Mind to what they need; provide them with information, support, and resource; and ensure that their victims' rights are enforced.
- Explain the restitution order, where applicable, and how information related to restitution payments should exist communicated.
- Connect victims to support services, if needed.
[17] Truman, Jennifer Fifty., and Lynn Langton. (2015). Criminal Victimization, 2014.U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, world wide web.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv14.pdf, accessed July 1, 2016.
[18] American Probation and Parole Clan. (2009). Fact Canvas 1: Promising Victim Related Practices in Probation and Parole: The Function of Customs Corrections in Victim Services. Quango of Country Government. Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.appa-cyberspace.org/eWeb/docs/APPA/pubs/PVRPPP-FACTSHEET-1.pdf , accessed July 1, 2016..
[19] Lehman, J., Beatty, T.G., Maloney, D., Russell, S., Seymour, A., Shapiro, C. (2002). The 3 'R's' of Reentry, Justice Solutions. www.justicesolutions.org/art_pub_3_rs_of_reentry.pdf, accessed July 1, 2016.
[twenty] Harvey, Thou. 1996. "An Ecological View of Psychological Trauma and Trauma Recovery." Journal of Traumatic Stress ix, no. 1: three-23.
[21] Benedict, Alyssa. (2014). Strategies and Skills for Working Finer with Justice-Involved Women: Applying a Trauma-Informed Approach. APPA National Training Found, Bureau of Justice Aid. http://cjinvolvedwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/APPA-2014-Applying..., accessed July one, 2016.
[22] Baum, K., Catalano, Southward., & Rose, K. (2009). Stalking Victimization in the Us: National Crime Victimization Survey. U.S. Section of Justice.
[26] Richmond, J. 2015. "Man Trafficking: Understanding the Law and Deconstructing Myths." St. Louis University Police Journal. 60(1), 1-41.
[27] Roe-Sepowitz, D, et al. "What Y'all Demand to Know: Sex activity Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, A Grooming Tool for Adult Probation Officers." Governor'due south Office of Youth, Faith and Family unit. Office of the Arizona Governor, https://goyff.az.gov/humantrafficking , accessed July 1, 2016.
[28] National Gang Intelligence Center. (2013). National Gang Written report. https://www.fbi.gov/, accessed July 28, 2016.
Source: https://info.nicic.gov/wwvc/node/8
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