justice for victims

UNDERSTANDING OF JUSTICE FOR VICTIM.

By,MOHAMMED HAROON RASHEEDB.A.LL.B (Hons.), [BSW] & [LLM]

AdvocateEmail ID: [email protected]

(c)2014 MD HAROON RASHEED, ADVOCATE

Victims. Victim: “Someone who suffers direct or threatened

physical, emotional, or financial harm as the result of the commission or attempted commission of a crime or delinquent act; the term victim also includes the immediate family of a minor or homicide victim, but does not include a person in custody for an offense, or the accused”


Victim’s Rights.

Victims’ Rights:

“The fundamental rights of victims to be represented equitably throughout the criminal justice process”


What are the Effects of Crime on Victim?

• There are various effects of crime on a victims life primarily they are classified into the following:

• Physical

• Financial

• Emotional


Physical Effects on the Victim.

• “Life is not like before”- Difficulty in Overcoming.

• Frozen Fright.

• Exhaustion.


Emotional Effects on the Victim.• Shock.

• Disbelief.

• Denial.

• Regression.

• Cataclysm of Emotion(c)2014 MD HAROON RASHEED, ADVOCATE

• Fear and Terror.

• Anger, Fury and Outrage.

• Confusion and Frustration.

• Guilt or Self Blame.

• Shame or Humiliation.

• Grief or Sorrow.(c)2014 MD HAROON RASHEED, ADVOCATE

Financial Effects on the Victim.

• Loss of or damage to personal property.

• Costs of replacing locks & security devices.

• Relocation expenses.

• Loss of income.(c)2014 MD HAROON RASHEED, ADVOCATE

Survival Strategies• Rescuing;• Attaching;• Asserting;• Adapting;• Fighting;• Fleeing;• Competing;• Cooperating; Valent, Paul. “From

Survival to Fulfillment: a framework for the life-trauma dialectic”


Delivery of Judgments : The Beginning of Justice.

• Justice does not end with the verdict of the case but in fact begins from then.

• The real objective of justice is to free the victim from the effects of crime.


Key Federal Legislations.• The Victim and Witness Protection

Act, 1982.

• Victims of Crime Act, 1984.

• The Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act, 1990.

• The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, 1994.


• The Community Notification Act (Megan’s Law), 1996.

• Mandatory Victim Restitution Act, 1996.

• The Victims’ Rights Clarification Act, 1997.

• Crime Victims’ Rights Act, 2004.


The Future of Victims’ Rights.• Enact and enforce consistent,

fundamental rights for crime victims in the justice system.

• Provide crime victims with access to comprehensive, quality services.

• Integrate crime victims’ issues into all levels of the nation’s education system.


• Support, improve, and replicate promising practices in victims’ rights and services.

• Ensure that the voices of crime victims play a central role in the nation’s response to violence and those victimized by crime.
