Services for Victims: A Market Research Study

Abstract

Victim services programs have proliferated over the past three decades. However, we know little about the forms of assistance that crime victims seek from these programs, whether the programs are meeting the needs of those who seek help, or whether the victims who receive services are the ones most in need. The current research examined these issues through interviews with 240 crime victims (120 persons who had received help from victim programs and 120 who had not) across four cities in the United States. Family and friends were the most frequent sources of victim assistance. Victim services programs helped a substantial number of victims with counseling-related needs but were of little help to victims in dealing with crime prevention, household, or property replacement needs. Victims who received services had more crime-related needs than those who had no program contact.