Victims and policy making : a comparative perspective / Matthew Hall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hall, Matthew (Matthew Duncan), 1963-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Victims of crimes--Government policy.

Victims of crimes.

Physical Description:

xi, 284 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon [UK] ; New York : Willan Pub., 2010.

Summary:

Victims of crime are now the subjects of intense policy attention and reform across most developed nations, whilst also receiving sustained attention at the highest levels of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and many other transnational organisations. Such moves have been fostered by the continued development of the international victims' movement and driven by a host of complex and interacting drivers which span jurisdictions.

This volume sets out to contrast and compare the development of policies related to victims of crime and their place within the criminal justice systems in nine separate jurisdictions (the USA, the Netherlands, England and Wales, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa). The research also seeks to examine the related work of key international bodies such as the UN and the EU.

Based on first hand interviews with those responsible for formulating such policies, as well as detailed grounded and document analysis across these jurisdictions, Victims and Policy Making exposes the national and transnational policy networks surrounding victims of crime and, in particular, examines how the provision of victim care is becoming globalised. In so doing, it represents a rare comparative evaluation of the underlying rationales and influences which have influenced the creation of such policies and places them in their true global context.

This book will be key reading for students and academics studying victims and policy making and an important reference tool for practitioners and policy makers. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Victims on the world stage 1

Introduction 1

Victimology and victims of crime: an international movement? 15

2 Defining 'victims' 28

The expanding scope of victimhood 29

Defining victimhood: some broad conclusions 57

3 Victims and international organizations 62

The United Nations 62

The Council of Europe 69

The European Union 72

Other international organizations 81

Discussion 86

4 Victims in domestic policy making: examining the policy network 91

Policy theory policy networks, and issues of generalization 92

Aspects of the transnational and international policy network impacting on victim reform 95

Victims of crime: a transnational and international policy network 132

5 Theorizing victims' rights 137

Theorizing victims' rights 138

The formal rights of victims within national jurisdictions 143

The 'normalization' of victims' rights 160

6 Compensation, restitution and restorative justice 168

State compensation schemes 169

Restitution 182

Restorative justice 187

Compensating victims? 202

7 Victims in policy making a comparative perspective 206

Societal changes the-macro perspective 207

The influence of policy networks 216

A globalization of victim policies? 224

Victim support as a principle of international law? 226

Conclusion 230.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-265) and index.

ISBN:

9781843928256

1843928256

9781843928249

1843928248

OCLC:

502034810

Publisher Number:

99943266453