AD HOC Victim Services Committee Research Report

Date

2/1/2017

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

Abstract

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority's (ICJIA) Ad Hoc Victim Services Committee (Committee) convenes every three years to define priorities for use of S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) funds. The criminal justice, juvenile justice, victim services professionals, and victim advocates who comprise the Committee review crime and victimization trend data, information on current efforts, and data from funded programs to ensure a minimum provision of basic services to victims of crime and prioritize funding. To assist the Committee, ICJIA researchers conducted a study to identify crime victim needs and service gaps and measure the existing capacity of Illinois victim service providers. The study focused on crime victimization throughout the state, including a wide range of crime types and victim service practices. This report synthesizes the information collected, literature reviewed, and data analyzed, and provides a set of recommendations based on the research findings. The recommendations provided in this report are limited to what may be funded through VOCA and VAWA. A complete set of findings that includes a broader discussion about victim needs and services that cannot be addressed by VOCA or VAWA will be made available to the public in early 2017.

Description

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority's (ICJIA) Ad Hoc Victim Services Committee (Committee) convenes every three years to define priorities for use of S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) funds. The criminal justice, juvenile justice, victim services professionals, and victim advocates who comprise the Committee review crime and victimization trend data, information on current efforts, and data from funded programs to ensure a minimum provision of basic services to victims of crime and prioritize funding. To assist the Committee, ICJIA researchers conducted a study to identify crime victim needs and service gaps and measure the existing capacity of Illinois victim service providers. The study focused on crime victimization throughout the state, including a wide range of crime types and victim service practices. This report synthesizes the information collected, literature reviewed, and data analyzed, and provides a set of recommendations based on the research findings. The recommendations provided in this report are limited to what may be funded through VOCA and VAWA. A complete set of findings that includes a broader discussion about victim needs and services that cannot be addressed by VOCA or VAWA will be made available to the public in early 2017.

Keywords

Victim Services

Citation

DOI