Highlights
Most referrals for services provided to crime victims come from law enforcement per the Department of Justice. If you include services from Victim Service Providers and individual cops, law enforcement is the primary provider of interventions assisting victims of crime.
America values cops highly. The personal touch they provide to people in need is a principal reason why.
Author
Article
After decades in the justice system, I’ve learned that pundits either have a victim’s or offender’s perspective of the justice system. Needless to say, cops interact with traumatized people frequently both during and after the event which probably gives us our jaundiced view of the system and our distaste for those who cause others harm.
Now we have data indicating that law enforcement is the principal provider of referrals and services to crime victims.
Per USDOJ research (below), law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, police, or sheriff’s departments, were among the top three sources of victim referrals to Victim Service Providers (69%).
Governmental Victim Service Providers, most of which reported being within law enforcement agencies or prosecutors’ offices, accounted for 42% of all VSPs and provided 24 services on average.
But what about services offered by individual cops? It’s unfortunate that the Department of Justice didn’t document the endless assistance provided by officers.
Help from a victim-service agency was received in only 8%-9% of violent victimizations, Bureau Of Justice Statistics. This means that if you include what individual police officers do for crime victims, they are the primary provider of services to violent crime victims.
This applies to 4.5 to 6.3 million violent crime victims in recent years, many including low-income or minority citizens, Bureau Of Justice Statistics.
Cops work with distraught mothers who can’t deal with their out-of-control children. Officers remain behind when residents are terrorized by a burglary. They make death notifications. Cops assist victims of domestic violence to find a safe place to escape their abusers. Officers search for missing kids. There are endless examples of individual cops going far above and beyond for crime victims when supervisors were demanding they move on to the next call. Yes, many police officers pay for taxi rides or meals out of their own pockets.
Based on the above, law enforcement is the primary provider not only for referrals but direct services to victims of crime.
Services For Crime Victims
Services For Crime Victims is a document from the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the US Department of Justice. It provides insight as to the number of formal Victim Service Providers and what they do regarding the 8 to 9 percent of victims that get services.
Some highlights:
Three-quarters of Victim Service Providers (75%) provided immediate or emergency safety planning to victims.
Most Victim Service Providers (81%) reported that shelter or housing was a difficult service to obtain.
About three-quarters of Victim Service Providers (71%) assisted victims with filing for a restraining, protection, or no-contact order.
Almost all provided online, phone, or program referral (93%) and general information about crime and victimization, crime prevention, or victim risk reduction (90%).
Approximately three-quarters notified victims of their legal rights (77%), offered immediate or emergency safety planning (75%), or helped victims file for victim compensation (73%).
They offered assistance in navigating the legal system. This included accompanying victims to criminal court (72%), civil court (57%), or law enforcement interviews (66%).
Many also provided financial or material assistance that was directly related to the victimization or recovery process, such as help with transportation (61%) or other basic needs (60%).
Some also provided treatment or support services (e.g., individual counseling (42%) or support groups (41%)) or health advocacy services (e.g., accompanying victims to their medical forensic exams (45%) or providing advocacy while navigating the healthcare system (46%).
About 69% provided case management, which often involves facilitating communication between victims and criminal justice system personnel and helping victims access a range of programs. It also includes keeping records on what victims need as they navigate those programs or the legal system.
Other services provided in were interpretation, translation, and other language services (54%), as well as assistance for persons who were deaf or hard of hearing (37%).
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Conclusions
Regardless of massive negative publicity, cops remain one of the most trusted entities in America, Law Enforcement Public Opinion.
The vast majority of Americans, regardless of who they are, regardless of where they live, view law enforcement favorably and want them in their communities.
Why? Beyond protection from crime, they remember the officers who stayed behind when they were scared out of their whits. They respected the cops who pointed out the reasons why the burglary occurred and what they can do about it. They stood between women and their abusers. They ride by their homes and beeped the horn to make sure they know that law enforcement was keeping an eye on them and their homes.
When I was a cop, I spent hours (in increments) counseling a troubled teenage boy, encouraging him to stay in school, and working with his parents to make sure the child felt loved and accepted. I didn’t do anything else that cops do daily, endless thousands of times a year.
Yes, we have our problems, but America values cops highly. The personal touch they provide to millions of people in need is a principal reason why.
See More
See more articles on crime and justice at Crime in America.
Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries at Most Dangerous Cities.
US Crime Rates at Nationwide Crime Rates.
National Offender Recidivism Rates at Offender Recidivism.
An Overview Of Data On Mental Health at Mental Health And Crime.
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