FAQ and Factsheets: Criminal Justice

Victims of campus violence, like all victims of crime, react to their victimizations in many different ways. Immediately after the crime, victims often struggle with feelings of fear, helplessness, confusion, guilt, self-blame, shock, disbelief, denial, anger, shame and numerous other emotions. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

Federal Legislation; State Legislation; References; Bibliography; For additional information [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

The law has traditionally treated children differently than other victims. State criminal codes define many crimes against children separately from the same offenses committed against adults. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

More than 35 million Americans are victimized by crime each year. The consequences of crime frequently extend far beyond the criminal act. All too often victims are left with expenses for medical procedures, physical rehabilitation, counseling and lost wages. It is estimated that crime costs victims $345 billion annually. Although many crime victims and their families have some knowledge about the legal system, they are often unaware that there are two systems of justice available in which to hold the offender accountable—the criminal justice system and the civil justice system. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

The rights of crime victims have only begun to be recognized in the law during the last two decades. Prior to that, crime victims had no rights during the criminal justice process. They did not have to be informed of court proceedings or of the arrest or release of the defendant, they had no right to be present during the trial or other proceedings, and they had no right to make a statement to the court at sentencing or at other hearings. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

Although crime and victimization rates have steadily declined since the early 1990's, society's perception and fear of crime is still very high. Greater participation between community members and local law enforcement is needed to help ensure that crime and victimization rates continue to decline. Crime prevention is a concept that can help reduce crime and public fear and perception of crime. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

In 1982, the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime included four key recommendations to improve victim services in the parole process. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

Every state recognizes a special duty to protect children. Across the country, states have defined numerous crimes against children, provided higher levels of punishment for crimes committed against children, required the reporting of crimes against children, and adopted a variety of special laws aimed at reducing the victimization of children. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

Crisis is defined as "a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life" and "a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined; a turning point." [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

Domestic violence has traditionally been defined as violence in the home, or between family members. As society's definition of family has changed, so has the law's definition of family violence. While some states cling to the traditional view of domestic violence as between spouses or former spouses, increasingly legislatures are expanding the scope of the law to include children, relatives, unmarried persons living together, persons with a child in common, and even those in an "intimate relationship." [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

The "graying of America" has given senior citizens a large and powerful political voice. As a result, crimes against the elderly, particularly those involving abuse or neglect, are coming to the attention of the general public and our nation's elected policy makers. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

Most states have laws limiting the time during which crimes other than murder may be prosecuted. All states have time limitations for bringing a lawsuit to recover money for damages from the wrongdoing of another -- a civil action. In recent years, many states have adopted extensions to their criminal and civil statutes of limitation for cases of child sexual abuse and in certain other sexual assault cases. The length of the extension varies greatly between the states. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

In recent years, most states have enacted laws concerning the testing of criminal offenders and their victims for infection and transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome, (AIDS). Such laws were passed in response to the recognized possibility of the transmission of HIV/AIDS during sexual assault or abuse, as well as other crimes where an exchange of bodily fluids takes place. They were also the result of a new understanding of the added trauma a sexual assault victim endures when faced with the possibility of having contracted a terminal disease. In a study conducted by the National Center for Victims of Crime and the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 40 percent (40%) of sexual assault victims indicated that the fear of contracting HIV/AIDS was a major concern. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

The criminal justice system can be overwhelming, confusing and intimidating for anyone who does not work within the system on a regular basis. Imagine the response of a crime victim as he or she attempts to navigate the very imposing "criminal" justice system. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" General Information

The practice of requiring an individual who has harmed another to repay the victim for the harm caused has been at the heart of jurisprudence in the civilized world. In fact, throughout most of history, the concept of repayment or restitution was inseparable from principles of crime and punishment. But as the power of the state grew, and as the interest of monarchs to intervene in an effort to quell violent settlement of disputes also grew crimes against individuals became "crimes against the state." [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

Many states have laws to protect the confidentiality of victims of crime. Confidentiality laws exist to encourage the reporting of offenses, and to prevent the re-victimization of the crime victim through publicity, unwarranted intrusion upon the victim's privacy, and insensitive treatment by the media. To find out what confidentiality rights exist in your state, visit your local law library or contact your state Attorney General or state legislator. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

Illicit use of Rohypnol began in the 1970s in Europe and appeared in the United States in the early 1990s. Much of the concern surrounding Rohypnol is its abuse as a "date rape" drug. Rohypnol is a tasteless and odorless drug and, until recent manufacturer efforts, dissolved clear in liquid, which masked its presence. Drug-facilitated rape can be defined as sexual assault made easier by the offender’s use of an "anesthesia" type drug that can render the victim physically incapacitated or helpless and unable to give consent to sexual activity. Whether the victim is unwittingly administered the drug or willingly ingests it for recreational use is irrelevant. The person is victimized because of an inability to consciously consent to sexual acts. [More...]
From: Office of National Drug Control Policy

Stalking, commonly defined as "the willful, malicious and repeated following or harassing of another person" is gaining recognition and credibility as a serious crime in the United States. Victims of stalking include those currently at risk of physical and/or emotional harm, and those in constantly pending danger, but not immediately at risk. Women are the victims of stalking in disproportionate numbers [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Legislative Topics

It is critical that victims of stalking maintain a log of stalking-related incidents and behavior. Recording this information will help to document the behavior for restraining order applications, divorce and child custody cases, or criminal prosecution. It can also help preserve your memory of individual incidents about which you might later testify. [More...]
From: NCVC "Get Help" Stalking

Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a powerful, rapidly acting central nervous system depressant. GHB is abused for its ability to produce euphoric and hallucinogenic states and for its alleged function as a growth hormone that releases agents to stimulate muscle growth. GHB became a Schedule I Controlled Substance in March 2000. According to NDIC, GHB has surpassed Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) as the most common substance used in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. GHB can mentally and physically paralyze an individual, and these effects are intensified when the drug is combined with alcohol. [More...]
From: Office of National Drug Control Policy