Introduction
Victims of crime often struggle to cope with various physical assaults, psychological and emotional challenges, and financial constraints because of crimes endured. The victims may sustain physical injuries; they may require enhancing their security measure or even shift to evade victimization; feel terrified, anger, or even left paying heavy medical bills. They may even lack time to participate in criminal proceedings. Luckily, there are resources to take care of them, and assist them recover, and there are sources that fund resources.
This paper discusses one of the sources which helps finance the programs that ascertain the welfare of the victims of crime. With great assistance from victims advocate, victim’s assistance program offers compensation to the victims of crime. On the other hand, these programs obtain funds from federal and state aids and through other assisting agencies, such as the stakeholder groups and the NGOS. This paper addresses the role played by the victims advocate and provides justification to a stakeholder group for funding for a victim assistance program. The paper shall provide an overview of the support agency groups and their role in assisting the victims, then, address on the significance of stakeholder groups in funding the assistance programs.
Victims support Agency in conjunction with the Department of justice embodies the welfares of victims of crime and synchronizes the entire government approach in administering justice to the victims. In addition, it provides funds and grants to agencies that offer counseling and any assistance in helping the victims recover from crimes, either financially or mentally. Together with that, it offers advocacy services to victims of crime by relieving the duty of repeating their stories at various agencies.
In broader terms, there is a victim’s advocate who ensures that justice and fairness prevails to the victim. The victims support agency also finances numerous victims’ assistance and counseling program agencies in the urban and regional parts. This agency plays an imperative role of accumulating major stakeholders for learning, exchanging thoughts, and working in association. Inception of such associations, stakeholder groups, and procedures ascertains swift and suitable responses by the justice system, including the police, the human service agencies, and mostly assists the victims of crime.
In order to play a leading role in encouraging quality services to the victims of crime, the agency implements a stout research program connected to state and global developments in order to support the victims. Furthermore, the agency organizes information seminars based on services for the victims of crime. Even though, no single person wants to think about the consequences suffered by victims from cruel crimes, or from occurrence of fatal accidents, the victim’s assistance program guarantees that victims have an advocate. The advocacy services depend on the nature of the issue that the victim suffers. The role of the victim’s advocate to the victim of crime includes but not limited to the following:
The advocate intervenes in the case of proactive predicaments, calms down the situation and offers considerate assistance.
He/she educates the victim about the procedures used in the criminal justice system.
Through the community agencies and resources, the advocate offers a mutual continuum concern to the victim.
The advocate ensures that the victim obtains required care, needs, and suitable requirements offered.
Stakeholder groups
Stakeholder group play an imperative role within the criminal justice system, by funding the victim’s assistance programs. These groups open opportunities for creating stronger communities and augmenting the degree of understanding in human calamities.
The group focuses on overpowering the sentiments of trauma and assist the victims acquire a cognitive control and accept their situations. The sessions organized by such groups, listens as the victims narrate their stories and encourage them face the future. They try to reinstitute human affiliation and ascertain that hope is essential.
In essence, the stakeholder group focuses in addressing issues that supports the public good. As much as they assist in funding the victim’s assistance programs, the government via the criminal justice system integrates them in their activities. They work on the objective of ensuring justice and fairness prevails within the court system.
In case they detect a flawlessness of the laws, they address the issue and bring into attention any society concern to the government. In essence, they work under the Human rights category. However as much as the stakeholders may play a great role in ensuring that justice takes charge, the victims on the other hand might suffer problems emanating from the policies and laws of the land. The amount compensated may not commensurate with loses suffered. This, therefore, leaves the victim suffering yet he/she expected a reimbursement. In addition, victims suffers from the way the case is handled, in that, they may sometimes fail to obtain any compensation. Together with that, victims suffer from cultural disagreements and system ineffectiveness in addressing victims’ rights.
In conclusion, criminal activities may render victims and their relatives helpless because of high medical bills, counseling services and other added expenses in trying to seek for justice for the crimes experienced. Victims advocate assists in seeking for justice in order to obtain compensation, and through the help of the victim’s assistance programs, the advocacy wins over the case and the victim’s gets compensate. For these programs to run smoothly, they get support from both the government and other supportive agencies like the stakeholder groups. This group offer financial assistance and also offer counseling services to the victims and invites them back to the community. It is the role of the victims advocate to ensure that the justice system works alongside such groups in order to reduce rate of crimes in the society.
References
Rennison, Callie (2001). “Criminal Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-
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Roberts, Albert (1990). Helping Crime Victims: Research, Policy, and Practice. Newbury Park,
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Rienick, Cynthia, Darlanne Hoctor Mulmat, and Susan Pennell (1997). Meeting the Needs of
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