Source: (1998) In Support for crime victims in a comparative perspective, ed. Ezzat Fattah and Tony Peters, 23-36. A collection of essays dedicated to the memory of Prof. Frederic McClintock. With a preface by Ezzat Fattah and Tony Peters. Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press.
Joutsen’s essay surveys the present status of victimology and victim rights in Finland, with emphasis on recent developments. The author cites history and current statistics to sketch victimology in Finland. Upon this basis, he raises the issue of the role of the victim in the criminal justice process, especially in view of the fact that traditionally the victim had virtually no control over the criminal process once his or her case had been reported and the investigation begun. He asks what scope there is for informal settlement of cases through processes involving conciliation, mediation, or conflict resolution? In exploring this question, he covers the relationships between the victim and other elements in the criminal justice process in Finland: the police; the prosecutor; the court; the state (i.e., state compensation); the media; and victim policy in Finland.
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