Jack Straw on the National Victims' Service
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"I am not suggesting that we have reached such a state of grace in the criminal justice system that everything is operating perfectly for victims and their families. It is not.That much is clear from Sara Payne's report. Sara's nine months' study of the services victims receive and discussions with individuals across the country has given us a real insight into victims' experiences and what we need to do to help them. Let me take just three of her main findings."
"First, the experiences and needs of victims are different. One person may be relatively unaffected by a crime; another may experience overwhelming loss or anxiety in respect of a similar crime, from which they struggle to recover. Support for victims must be driven by the impact of crime on an individual, rather than the type of offence committed against them."
"Secondly, victims' problems don't disappear at the door of the courtroom. I met one woman in the last year whose daughter was brutally raped and murdered several decades ago. At the time, the crime may have hit the headlines for a few days, or even a few weeks. But long after the press had moved on to the next story and the criminal justice process had come to a conclusion, the woman is still struggling to come to terms with her ordeal. She still hasn't gone back to work. She is still on medication. Her daughter's murder has ruined her life."
"We can and must continue to help people like this. Sara Payne's report argues that there needs to be an 'end-to-end' service for victims, bringing the many agencies involved together, right from the point when their needs first arise to when their issues have been resolved."
"Finally, there are still too many local variations in the services provided to victims. The statistics can be startling. Last year (2008-09) 41% of victims nationally recall being offered a chance to make a Victim Personal Statement, yet local performance varied from 60% in the highest performing areas to just 30% in the lowest performing areas. Likewise, 71% of victims nationally said they were offered specialist services, yet local performance varied from 84% to 60%. There must be consistency right across the country."
For all the improvements that have been made, it is clear that in too many areas the criminal justice system simply does not do enough for victims and their families, and there are still pockets of the system which overlook their needs. In part, this is because services for victims have developed separately rather than systematically, and because support has been based on the type of crime committed rather than the impact on the individual victim. This is about to change."
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