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Thought Has Been Given To Who Takes The First Information From A Victim, And ...

Thought has been given to who takes the first information from a victim, and care is taken to try and provide a woman officer for this task. If the victim agrees to evidence being taken from their bodies, this can now frequently be done in special units prepared to give as much comfort to the victim as possible under the circumstances. This is increasingly done in partnership with other bodies, such as the health service; these sexual assault referral centers can act more holistically in order to help the victim recover psychologically, as well as physically.
Once a case goes to court there are also a number of bodies that are funded to offer support. One of these is Victim Support, which has campaigned for many years to raise funding to assist all victims of crime during the court process. Many of these bodies are now funded with government money, as their value has been perceived. If the victim has cause to be fearful of going to court then protection can now be arranged, as their fears are now taken seriously. Once an offender has been convicted, sentenced and served his time, the probation service is obliged to inform the victim of her attackers release, if she has so requested. Victims of sexual violence are also eligible for criminal compensation.
It is clear that there has been an enormous change in the way sexual crimes are perceived in our society. Although, the debate continues as to why the statistics should be rising to such height it is clear that much has been done, in light of past research results to make the criminal justice system consider carefully its procedures and responses to these crimes. It is to be hoped that the government will continue to respond with change as these crimes become better understood.
Bibliography:
Croall, H., Crime and Society in Britain, Pearson Education Ltd: Harlow, 1998
Jones, S., Criminology, 2nd Edition, OUP: Oxford, 2001
Muncie, J. and McLaughlin, E., eds., The Problem of Crime, 2nd Edition, Sage Publications: London, 2002
Muncie, J. and McLaughlin, E., The Sage Dictionary of Criminology, Sage Publications: London, 2001
Myhill, A. and Allen, J., ‘Rape and sexual assault of women: findings from the British Crime Survey', Findings, 159, Home Office: London, 2002
Recorded Crime Statistics (RCS) 1898 - 2004/05, accessed at www.homeoffice.gov.uk, on 6 August, 2006
Sawyer, M., ‘50,000 rapes each year but only 600 rapists sent to jail', The Observer, Sunday July 31, 2005
Segal, L., ‘Explaining male violence', in McLaughlin, E., Muncie, J., Hughes, G., Eds., Criminological Perspectives: Essential Readings, 2nd Edition, Sage Publications: London, 2003
Sexual Offences Act (SOA), 2003, accessed at: www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2003/20030042.htm, 6 August 2003
White, R., and Habibis, D., eds., Crime and Society, OPU: Oxford, 2005
www.victimsupport.org
www.rightsofwomen.org.


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