Preventing secondary victimization and
supporting victims of crime –
what has been done and what is yet to be done?
Sanita Sīle| Policy Analyst
Riga, March 4th 2015
Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS
Promoting evidence based policy in Latvia
Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS
PROVIDUS provides independent expertise in the
following areas:
good governance (including public integrity and
prevention of corruption, openness of information,
responsibility of courts, social entrepreneurship, civic
participation, energy policy);
inclusive political process (including integration policies
and diversity management);
criminal justice (including penal policy and alternatives
for pre-trial detention, juvenile justice, support for
victims’ rights).
Victim // Criminal Law
The objective of punishment is:
1) to protect the public safety;
2) to restore justice;
3) to punish the offender for a committed criminal offence;
4) to resocialize the punished person;
5) to achieve that the convicted person and other persons
comply with the law and
refrain from committing
criminal offences.
Section 35, part two of the Criminal Law
Victim support system
Mechanisms of the victim compensation
in criminal proceedings in EU
The main conclusions:
* First steps should include development of
services that are the most important for
victims: legal aid, state compensation,
psychological help;
* Evaluation of services should be carried out
on regular basis;
* Evaluation of victims’ needs should also be
carried out on regular basis;
* Law enforcement agencies would benefit
from guidelines on how to deal with crime
victims.
Support for Victims of Crime: Substantial
or Nominal. Latvia and Beyond
* To provide research based strategic
and policy recommendations for
development of good victims policies
that address victims’ needs, and
respond to crime in a balanced and
restorative way;
* To improve information and
support available to victims of crime;
* To enhance understanding about
the benefits of a restorative response
to crime and responsiveness towards
victims’ needs among law
enforcement agencies, media and
society at large;
* To improve cooperation and
networking among state agencies
and NGOs working with victims of
crime in Latvia and beyond.
Information // Public Awareness
www.cietusajiem.lv
Improving Protection of Victim’s Rights:
Access to Legal Aid
* Increase the information available for
the victims on the legal aid as a means
to facilitate the protection of their
rights;
* Identify common standards to handle
victim of crime cases in order to have a
just compensation;
* Reinforce the capacities of
practitioners in dealing with victims,
through the implementation of a
training course;
* Facilitate the information of those
categories of citizens less aware of their
rights, notably the population of rural
areas, through the production and
delivery of a set of communication
tools.
Assessment of the conditions that the victim
has to meet to qualify for state-provided
legal aid
Criteria:
* Is the harm done?
Victims of domestic violence,
children, victims of trafficking of
human beings - NGOs
* Has the person been legally
recognized as a victim?
* Is the person an adult or a minor?
* Can the person afford to invite a
lawyer for legal assistance?
Statistics: Questionnaire within the project
Has the person a status of a needy
person?
What is yet to be done?
What is yet to be done?
Future challenges:
• Inter-institutional cooperation;
• «One-stop shops» to address victims’ needs;
• «Basket» of minimum services.
What is yet to be done?
What is yet to be done?
The main objective:
to enhance the development of a safe and child-oriented support
system for child victims of crime.
To gather information about the existing support systems for child victims
(multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional approach);
To raise professional capacity of specialists;
To create innovative cooperation forms in the multi-disciplinary environment
and to enhance children’s rights protection.
Links
• www.providus.lv
• Improving protection of victims rights access to legal aid.
http://providus.lv/article/improving-protection-of-victim-s-rights-access-to-legal-aid;
• Support for victims of crime: substantial or nominal. Latvia and beyond.
http://providus.lv/article/support-for-victims-of-crime-substantial-or-nominal-latviaand-beyond;
• Mechanisms of the victim compensation in criminal proceedings in EU.
http://providus.lv/article/outstanding-problems-of-restorative-justice-perspectivesolutions-within-the-european-union-research-on-mechanisms-of-the-victimcompensation-in-criminal-proceedings-in-eu-tm-2012-34-ek;
•
www.cietusajiem.lv
THANK YOU!
Sanita Sīle
Centre for public policy PROVIDUS
Alberta 13, Riga, LV-1010, Latvia
[email protected]