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Victims and Crime Evaluation

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Submitted By missy10
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Victims and Crime Evaluation
CJA 354
April 17, 2012
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Introduction This evaluation paper will discuss the concept of victim, the evaluation will also address and explain the history and significance of victims’ assistance programs and the purpose of their functions as it applies to the criminal justice system. Also addressed will be the evaluation of problem solving courts and restorative justice and their affect on the criminal justice system , society, and victims. The definition of victim is described as any individual against whom an offense has been committed (Schmallager, et al, 2010). The concept of a victim is foreign to civil law, which speaks instead in terms of people who have been injured or wronged. According to Schmallager (2010), the word victim denotes someone who has been harmed through the kind of activity proscribed by the criminal law (Schmallager, et al, 2010). During the AD 400 era, the time known as "Golden Age of the victim" organized law enforcement agencies, judicial systems, and formal legal procedures were nonexistent. Individuals who were victimized by offenders would retaliate against the offender with the assistance of family members and friends. Once the offender was apprehended, the victim would hand out a punishment believed to be suitable for the crime committed and this type of behavior was accepted by a vast majority of society (Schmallager, et al, 2010). From AD 400 right up until the early 1960s, a point in history known as the "Kings Peace" wrongs against individuals were considered to be crimes committed against society. Unfortunately, during this era victims were further victimized as society forgot about the individual victim and believed any unlawful act committed was done against society and the state. During this period organized law

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