Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur de som jobbar med brottsdrabbade inom den engelska brottsofferjouren, Victim Support, förstår brottsdrabbades behov och sin egen roll i att bemöta dessa. Avsikten var även att undersöka hur traditionella föreställningar kring brottsdrabbade, och kategorier som manligt/kvinnligt, ålder, klass etcetera, påverkar denna förståelse. Studien utfördes genom kvalitativa intervjuer med volontärer och anställd personal inom Victim Support. Resultaten visade att jouraktiva väger in flera parametrar när de bedömer brottsdrabbades behov. Kategorierna ålder, kön och brottstyp framkom som särskilt betydelsefulla. Traditionella föreställningar om brottsoffer framträder också i intervjudeltagarnas resonemang och tycks påverka sättet man förstår sin egen roll som ”hjälpare” på. Klienter som uppfattas avvikande har ibland svårare att få adekvat stöd. Det är därför av stor vikt att alla som jobbar med brottsdrabbade blir medvetna om hur stereotypiska antaganden kan ta sig i uttryck och vad de kan få för konsekvenser. / The aim of this study was to investigate how people working in English Victim Support, understand crime victim's needs and their own role in addressing them. The purpose was also to investigate how traditional notions of crime victims and categories such as gender, age, class etcetera, affect this understanding. The study was conducted through qualitative interviews with volunteers and staff of Victim Support. The results showed that the participants took several parameters in consideration when assessing crime victim’s needs. The categories of age, sex and type of crime emerged as particularly significant. Traditional notions of victims also appear to influence the participants understanding of victims and their own role. Clients perceived as deviant may also have difficulties in receiving adequate support. It is therefore important that all working with crime victims become aware of how stereotypical assumptions can manifest and the potential consequences of them. / <p>9302021242</p>

Abstract   The aim of this study was to reach a deeper understanding of how social workers and police officers collaborate and what perceptions they have of young victims of crime and their needs. The study is based on a qualitative approach consisting of three group interviews and four individual interviews with police officers and social workers from the social service’s victim support center, Stödcentrum. The study's empirical data has been analyzed by using Danermark’s collaboration theory and social constructivism and has been discussed in relation to previous research. The results showed that social workers and police officers generally have a positive attitude towards collaboration with each other. The respondents felt that engaged managers, co-location and personal relationships had a positive impact on collaboration. Insufficient routines, employee turnover, privacy laws and limited insight contribute to negative experiences. It also emerged that, while both groups had shared perceptions of victims of crime, the police chosed in their response to distinguish between the roles of victims and perpetrator in their contact.

Tidigare forskning visar att brottsoffer påverkas i olika avseenden, de löper bland annat risk att utveckla post-traumatiskt stressyndrom och egentlig depression. Det sociala stödet har visat sig betydelsefullt för brottsoffers återhämtning. Den här studien har studerat hur personer som blivit utsatta för ett av tre specifika typer av brott påverkats av händelsen samt betydelsen av deras sociala stöd. Totalt åtta personer mellan åldrarna 25-75 med varierande sysselsättning deltog i studien. Hälften av deltagarna var kvinnor. Datainsamlingen skedde via intervjuer. Gemensamt för alla brottstyperna var upplevelsen av (1) att vara ekonomiskt drabbad, (2) påverkad psykiskt, (3) otrygghet och (4) bristande stöd från samhället. Speciellt framträdande vid personrån var dessutom ångest och rädsla, vid inbrott utanför hemmet ilska och tanken att det bara handlar om ersättbara föremål och vid inbrott i hemmet oro och tanken att det handlar om oersättliga föremål. Resultatet överensstämmer med tidigare forskning, dock framkom även tidigare oupptäckta komponenter.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om vittnen till brott mot person i Örebro län är i behov av stöd innan rättegången. Frågeställningarna som användes var: är vittnen till brott mot person i Örebro län i behov av stöd? Vilken typ av stöd vill dessa vittnen ha? Vilka möjligheter och svårigheter finns för Brottsofferjouren att komma i kontakt med vittnen som är i behov av stöd? Till studien användes en kvalitativ metod bestående av individuella intervjuer och fokusgruppsinspirerade gruppintervjuer med vittnen och vittnesstödjare. Resultatet visade att vittnena är i behov av stöd då det finns en rädsla för repressalier samt en osäkerhet för hur rättsprocessen går till. Stödet som önskas är information om vart stöd finns att få samt vad som händer i rättsprocessen. Resultatet visade också att Brottsofferjouren har svårigheter att komma i kontakt med vittnen, främst för att de inte vet vilka som är vittnen innan rättegången. / The purpose of this study was to investigate whether witnesses to crimes against a person in Örebro County is in need of support before the trial. To answer the purpose the following questions were used: are witnesses of crimes against persons in Örebro County in need of support? What kind of support do these witnesses want to have? What opportunities and challenges exist for Victim Support (Brottsofferjouren) to come in contact with witnesses who are in need of support? The study used a qualitative approach using individual interviews and focus group-inspired group interviews with witnesses and witness supporters. The results showed that the witnesses are in need of support because in many cases there is a fear of retaliation, and an uncertainty of how the legal process works. The type of assistance required from witnesses is information on where they can get support and what happens in the legal process. The results also showed that Victim Support has difficulties to get in contact with witnesses, mainly because they do not know who the witnesses before trial.

Student Number : 0009222T - MA research report - School of Human and Community Development - Faculty of Humanities / The aim of this exploratory study was to determine whether victims of crime who have encountered face-to-face interventions with lay counsellors, perceive these interventions as helpful, hindering or having no effect on their ability to cope after a traumatic incident. Five participants were selected for this qualitative study. A semi-structured interview schedule was constructed by the researcher to guide the interview process and thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. The main emergent themes related to symptoms experienced by participants, time, victim support centres, perceptions of lay counsellors, short-term interventions, the model used and the participants overall perceptions of the services rendered by lay counsellors. Although the results were too varied to conclude the perceived effectiveness of interventions, the results are invaluable in gaining an in-depth understanding of the perceived impact of the services rendered by lay counsellors and what factors influence these perceptions.

Crime is a complex social problem which has a diverse range of socioeconomic and legal consequences. Its effects upon victims are equally wide-ranging. In the cases of both violent and non-violent crimes, the effects and consequences for victims can assume any of a great many different forms. Dinisman and Moroz (2017) confirm that the effects can be deleterious in respects such as the physical health, emotional well-being, financial security, and prospects for employment or higher education. In addition, the intensity of the effects upon victims is influenced by many different factors. Evidence suggests that the nature of crimes which are committed and their seriousness do not in themselves account solely for differences in the severity of the effects which victims experience (Dinisman & Moroz, 2017). In the past, many organisations, including government departments, have been concerned mainly with rendering services to victims of child abuse and domestic violence, often at the expense of victims of serious crimes such as murder, rape, car hijacking, armed robbery and assault. A qualitative study was conducted, in order to obtain an understanding from both providers of victim empowerment services and victims of violent crimes of the services which are provided to victims. A significant amount of data was collected in the form of suggestions from both groups of participants for improving the effectiveness of existing VE services and diversifying them to make the rendering of services a more holistic endeavour than it is at present. The study was conducted in the provinces of Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Western Cape, and the Northern Cape and the data was collected from semi-structured face-to face interviews and focus group discussions. The findings revealed that there were no standardised guidelines for rendering VE services to victims of different categories of crimes and the suggestions of the participants underscored the need for the development of appropriate referral protocols as a component of the guidelines for practice which were to be developed from the findings of the study. Some of the victims who participated in the study maintained that although some of their basic needs were being met in the shelters in which they were housed, in some instances counselling and therapeutic services were not available. Victims who were accommodated in shelters with their children expressed concerns with respect to a lack of educational programmes and facilities for the children. Many also expressed the belief that programmes which enabled them to develop skills to become financially self-sufficient upon leaving shelters were crucial to both their rehabilitation and empowerment. From the findings of this study, it was evident that guidelines for practice needed to be developed in accordance with the types of crimes which are committed against victims. From a careful analysis of the suggestions and recommendations of the participants, the researcher developed guidelines for practice for designing and implementing victim empowerment programmes in accordance with the objectives of providers of VE services and the needs of victims. The guidelines take the form of information pertaining to relevant programmes and services, appropriate referral protocols, and monitoring and evaluation framework templates to enable providers of VE services to assess their performance in relation to whether their services fulfil their mandates and whether the victims to whom they are rendered consider them to be sufficiently effective and appropriate. The guidelines are also intended to reduce inappropriate variations in the rendering of VE services and to stipulate standardised practices. The guidelines were circulated to members of the Victim Empowerment Management Forum who are also providers of VE services, for their comments and suggestions, which have subsequently been incorporated into the final draft of the guidelines for practice. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

The transmission of Covid-19 has put Sweden in a new situation with unique challenges for the society and its population. Based on the restrictions and exhortation to stay at home during transmission of Covid-19, concern has been increased about the pandemics potential impact on domestic violence. Newspapers all around the world post warning signs for increased phone calls to social services and hotlines from women who are exposed to domestic violence. Focusing on the Swedish context, this thesis has inquired workers at social services and women's shelters who in particular support and help women, who are victims of domestic violence. The data collection has been focused on how they work with the women during the transmission of Covid-19 to get an understanding of how this might affect their day to day work. The data have been collected through semi-structured interviews and have been analysed through qualitative content analysis. The data has shown that the work has been affected in several ways: with social distance, physical distance in treatment, decreased preventive work, difficulties to reach the women who are controlled by their perpetrators, and the general work in the field with cooperation with other agencies.

Every day people are exposed to crimes in Sweden, which can lead to both emotional and practical difficulties. Having the opportunity to get support and help after a traumatic incident can reduce the negative consequences of a crime, such as posttraumatic stress disorder and secondary victimization. In many communities in Sweden there are local support services for the crime victims, but in the district of Östra Norrbotten there are no support activities that specifically address this issue. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if the police in Östra Norrbotten feel that they can offer the crime victim sufficient support or refer to such support. Eight police officers in the district were interviewed to learn about their experiences. The results show that the majority of respondents felt that there are gaps in the field they can´t provide the crime victims to a support that they deem as sufficient or refer to such support. The fact that crime victims do not receive support can lead to negative impact on the recovery from all events. / <p>Validerat; 20130317 (global_studentproject_submitter)</p>

Introduite dans le Code de procédure pénale par la loi n° 2014-896 du 15 août 2014 relative à l'individualisation des peines et renforçant l'efficacité des sanctions pénales, à l'article 10-1, la justice restaurative rejoint désormais l'ensemble des réponses socio-pénales que le système de justice pénale français peut mobiliser pour répondre aux conséquences et aux répercussions du phénomène criminel. Depuis le 1er octobre 2014, date d'entrée en vigueur de l'article 10-1 du Code de procédure pénale, toute personne victime ou auteur d'une infraction pénale peut se voir proposer une mesure de justice restaurative, dans toute procédure pénale et à tous les stades de la procédure. Insérée dans le titre préliminaire du Code de procédure pénale, dans un sous-titre II "De la justice restaurative", la possibilité d'un tel recours à une mesure de justice restaurative prend place parmi les grands principes qui irriguent la procédure pénale et montre l'ambition du législateur en faveur de la justice restaurative présentée comme une des réponses à la crise que traverse le système de justice pénale actuel. Toutefois, au-delà de cette seule possibilité, se pose la question de la place que la justice restaurative peut occuper au sein de ce système, en particulier en ce qui concerne son institutionnalisation concrète et pratique. La démonstration de la forte complémentarité existant entre justice restaurative et justice pénale, au service d'un système de justice pénale répondant pleinement aux attentes des justiciables, ouvre la voie à une application conjointe de mesures de justice issues spécifiquement des deux modèles de justice. Il peut en résulter un système reposant sur une application conjointe de mesure de justice restaurative et de justice pénale et permettant un traitement différentiel, à la fois du conflit de nature infractionnelle et des attentes criminologiques et juridiques des personnes concernées. Cette approche, mise en perspective avec les initiatives naissantes de programmes en France, présente l'avantage de ne pas nécessiter d'importantes modifications du système de justice pénale. Elle consiste en la construction d'une offre locale de justice restaurative, complète et disponible, structurée par des organismes de coordination du partenariat sur lequel elle repose. Elle se manifeste actuellement, tant à l'échelon local, à travers la création de Services régionaux de justice restaurative (SRJR), qu'à l'échelon national, à travers les actions de l'Institut Français pour la Justice Restaurative (IFJR), aux côtés des principales fédérations et administrations concernées. / The law n° 2014-896 of August 15th 2014 on “Individualization of penalties and for strengthening the effectiveness of criminal sanctions” introduced in the Criminal Procedure Code restorative justice. From now on, it belongs to the socio-criminal responses proposed by the French criminal justice system to respond to the consequences and impact of the criminal phenomenon. Since October 1th 2014, the date of entry into force of the law, a “restorative justice measure” may be proposed to any victim or offender during every criminal procedure and at all stages of the proceedings. Inserted in the preliminary title of the Code of Criminal Procedure, subtitle II, entitled "About restorative justice", the possibility of such recourse to a restorative justice measure takes place among the great principles that define the criminal procedure and shows the French legislator ambition for restorative justice, which is presented as a possible answer to the criminal justice system current crisis. However, it raises the question of the place of restorative justice in this system, especially with regard to its concrete and practical institutionalization. The demonstration of the strong complementarity between restorative justice and criminal justice to create a criminal justice system that fully meets the expectations of victims and offenders pleads in favour of a joint implementation of legal measures from these two models of justice. This can lead to a system, based on a joint application of restorative justice and criminal justice, and permitting differential treatment, both of the criminal conflict and of the criminological and legal needs of individuals. This approach, put into perspective with the emerging program initiatives in France, has the advantage of not requiring major changes to the criminal justice system. It involves the construction of a local offer of restorative justice, complete and fully available, structured by coordinating bodies from the parternership the offer is based on.. This approach is currently visible at the local level, through the creation of Restorative Justice Regional Services (SRJR), as at the national level, through the actions of the French Institute for Restorative Justice (IFJR), with the main federations and administrations.

South Africa is a country steeped in decades of conflict and animosity. Apartheid and its consequences do not simply die: it has created a society struggling for survival. Against the backdrop of a country and its people still experiencing an extended social crisis, these struggles are socially constructed through various forms of aggressive, traumatic and violent behaviours such as crime victimisation. The resultant effect is that many South Africans are traumatised and require assistance to manage and deal with the impact of traumatic exposure. Counselling and psychological services within the South African context are limited, potentially expensive and often inaccessible to the poor. One way to address the needs of victims of crime and violence, is through the establishment of one-stop multidisciplinary crisis centres that specialise in short term crisis intervention service delivery. One such a crisis centre is the Sinoville Crisis Centre (SCC). The purpose of the study is to present an exploratory qualitative and participatory action research account of the SCC's endeavours and ongoing challenges in providing crisis intervention services as well as to serve as a guideline for future development. Research interviews with seven (7) SCC counsellors were complimented with a focus group interview. Subsequent conclusions were grounded in relation to relevant subject theory. Three (3) broad categories of recommendations are provided. Specific recommendations are levelled in relation to: * The SCC's crisis intervention models * The SCC's need to manage organisational change and loss; and * The SCC's role within the Victim Empowerment Programme. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)