Running head: HOLISTIC VICTIM RESITITUTION PLAN OUTLINE 1

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HOLISTIC VICTIM RESTITUTION PLAN OUTLINE 2

Holistic Victim Restitution Plan

Abstract

Victim-offender intercession, a process which permits crime victims to meet physically

with the perpetrator to converse about the consequence of the crime and to develop a restitution

plan, is the oldest and most scientifically beached restorative justice intervention. Restitution

according to Doerner & Lab (2012) is as an activity of restoration of anything to its rightful

owner. The epitome of this research paper is to provide a holistic victim restitution plan outline.

The paper will focus on ways to address victim needs of crime, rise of victimology, state the

method of evaluating empirical data regarding crime victims, discuss victims contribution to

crime and provide a Critique to the criminal justice systems response to victimization

Ways to address victim needs of crime

Victims require a range of timely support and service to heal from the trauma they

experience. These components encompass the needs of victims, their families and their

communities. The ways to address victim needs of crime include:

Safety: Victims of crime according to Wolhuter, Obey & Denham (2009) should get

protection from perpetrators and revictimization. Crime prevention should be participatory,

problem solving and restore sense of individual and community safety.

Access to justice processes: The victim should have the ability to participate in the justice

system proceedings and obtain information and services, regardless of personage or family

conditions (Wolhuter, Obey & Denham, 2009).

Provision of information: victim should be provided with both oral and written briefs

about justice system processes and victim services. The information should be apparent, brief,

and user-friendly (Wolhuter, Obey & Denham, 2009).

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Provision of Support: The victim should access Services and assistance to enable

involvement in justice processes, recuperation from trauma, and repair of harm caused by crime

Continuity of the support offered: The support offered to the victim should be

Consistence in approaches and methods across agencies.this support should continue through all

stages of the justice process and trauma recuperation (Wolhuter, Obey & Denham, 2009).

Freedom to speak: Victim should be empowered to speak out about processing of

individual cases (Wolhuter, Obey & Denham, 2009)

Rise of victimology

The past

Burgess, Regehr & Roberts (2010) argues that early notions of victimology were

developed by writers, novelists and poets. They were of the view that a new active and dyadic

approach that pays equal attention to criminal and victim was the best practice for criminology.

Literature during those times on crime victims was relatively decimal compared to that on

criminology.

Victimology at present

Victimology of today is described as more scientific and consolidated. It is established on

academic background. Numerous books and articles have been published inenglish and local

languages. The victimology currently depends on data gathering and theorization. It is founded

on new legislation. Karmen reports that since 1980 almost every American state, legislatures

passed various statutes acknowledging basic rights of victims. Among the laws are the right to be

notified of the victim to participate in judicial proceedings, the victim to promptly get back

stolen properties that was recovered and to protect the victim from intimidation and harassment.
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Data Gathering

One of the basic roles of theoretical victimology is to collect empirical data on crime

victims (Wallace and Roberson, 2011). The main method used currently to collect this

information is victimization surveys. The survey is conducted at stages either local or

international.

Victimes contribution to crime

According to Wallace & Roberson (2011), many crime victims contribute to crime

through their own, carelessness, recklessness or imprudence. They pointed out that the victims

role can be a motivational one or a functional one.

Critique to the criminal justice systems response to victimization

The research available according to Wallace & Roberson (2011) on secondary

victimization is full of loopholes. Some studies ffinds that victims experiences in the criminal

justice system response have no impact on their well-being whereas others do (Wallace, &

Roberson, 2011).Much of the responses has focused on victims of sexual assault, excluding other

types of victimization. There is little known about secondary victimization when it comes to

victims of other types of crime.

Conclusion

As people become of age they become wiser and more pragmatic. This set in certain

realism brought about by the harsh realities of their life experiences and setbacks. Steadily, they

learn to discard utopian imaginings and opt instead for more attainable goals. This revolution is

likely to take place in victimology, once many of todays youthful activists understand that some

of their well-intentioned demands are neither reasonable nor practical

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References

Burgess, A. W. Regehr, C. & Roberts, R.A. (2010). Ert, Victimology Theories and Applications.

Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Doerner, G.W & Lab, P. S. (2012). Victimology. Burlington: Anderson Publishing.

Shoham, G.S. (2010). Et Al (Ed) International Handbook of Victimology. Boca Taton: Crc

Press,

Wallace, H. & Roberson, C. (2011). Victimology Legal, Psychological and Social Perspectives.

New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Wolhuter, L. Obey, N. & Denham, D. (2009).Victimology: Victimization and Victim Rights.

London: Routledge.