National Victim Services Survey of Adult and Juvenile Corrections and Parole Agencies: Final Report.

Source: (1991) Washington, DC: US Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime.

Representatives of State adult and juvenile corrections agencies and parole boards responded to this survey, which sought examine current trends in victim services which they sponsored, including notification services, victim/offender programs such as restitution and mediation, and services for correctional personnel who are victimized while carrying out their responsibilities. The results showed a substantial increase in corrections and parole-based notification programs for victims and witnesses, compared to results obtained from the previous survey conducted five years earlier. There are 16 different types of releases about which correctional agencies notify victims and witnesses. Several agencies also notify victims who have been threatened of an offender’s change in status. The procedures for victim notification vary widely according to State and agency. Most corrections agencies have been authorized by the courts in their States to order restitution for offenders sentenced to prison terms. The report notes improvements made with regard to the victim’s rights in the parole process. Many correctional agencies have implemented programs to help employees who have been victimized, as well as their families. Victim/offender programs noted in this survey include mediation, conciliation, victim impact panels, confrontation, and “impact of crime on victims” programs. Abstract courtesy of National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.org.