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The Efficacy of Victim Services Programs

Alleviating the Psychological Suffering of Crime Victims?

Penn State Harrisburg

Berwood Yost

Center for Opinion Research, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA

Christina Abbott

Center for Opinion Research, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA

With the movement of the victim to the forefront of the criminal justice system, more and more services have been developed to alleviate the pain and suffering caused by the victimization experience. Some services seek to alleviate the psychological suffering of crime victims and include such programs as crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, and so forth. Several studies have examined to what extent such programming can actually improve the psychological functioning of crime victims. The present study examines that question through a quasi-experimental design in which victims who used services and victims who did not use services participated in a statewide telephone survey. The major finding of the study adds to those of previous studies: There is no significant difference between service and nonservice users when it comes to improvement in the psychological functioning of crime victims.

Key Words: crime victimization • victim services programs • psychological functioning • social skills • support network

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