Victim Services

Elizabeth H. McConnell

The term victim services refers to various ways that victims of crime are being assisted. Victims of crime are people who have experienced direct physical, emotional, or pecuniary harms as a result of a compensable crime. Victim services are an important stabilizing agent in society as they help victims of crime cope with trauma and other negative effects of crime. Even though services are provided to all victims of crime, the role of victim services has special meaning to minority crime victims. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Blacks' homicide victimization rates were 6 times higher than Whites', and Blacks were much more likely to be killed in drug-related circumstances. Other statistics also indicate that racial minorities are disproportionately victims of crime. For example, according to the 2005 NCVS, the rate for Black victims of personal crimes, for every 1,000 people, is 28.7, compared to 20.9 White victims of ...

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