Multi-Site Survey of Victims of Crime and Criminal Justice Professionals across Canada
4. Findings From Criminal Justice Professionals (continued)
4. Findings From Criminal Justice Professionals (continued)
4.3 Services for Victims
The following section considers the availability and accessibility of victim services in the sites studied. Respondents were asked about the types of services available in their community; the services offered by their particular victim service organization(s); challenges to accessing victim services; and how to improve accessibility, including how best to inform victims about available services.
4.3.1 Types of Services Available
In order to determine the full range of victim services available in the sites studied, respondents to the victim services, Crown Attorney, and police surveys were asked to list the types of victim services available in their community (including their own organization, if applicable). Table 45 below provides these results.
| Type of service: | Victim Services (N=318) | Crown Attorneys (N=188) | Police (N=686) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police-based victim services | 82% | 64% | 82% |
| Court-based victim services | 57% | 50% | 49% |
| Specialized victim services for domestic violence | 78% | 73% | 79% |
| Specialized victim services for sexual assault | 69% | 65% | 73% |
| Specialized victim services for children | 66% | 64% | 69% |
Note: Respondents could provide more than one response, therefore, totals sum to more than 100%.
Only those categories of service named in all of the surveys are included.
Respondents who listed another type of service or those who gave no response are not represented in this table.
As seen in Table 45, two-thirds to four-fifths of respondents reported that police-based victim services and specialized victim services for domestic violence, sexual assault, and children are available in their communities. A smaller percentage of respondents reported that court-based services are available.
4.3.2 Specific Services Offered by Victim Services
In addition to obtaining information about the types of services available to victims, the survey also sought information on the specific services offered. Each victim services respondent was asked to identify the services provided by his or her organization from the list given in Table 46 below.
From the survey responses, it appears that victims generally receive most of the services on the list. In particular, as Table 46 shows, victim services almost always make referrals, provide crisis support, accompany victims to court, and inform victims about court procedures and the workings of the criminal justice system. Many of these organizations also inform victims about victim impact statements and help them prepare to testify in court. Assisting victims with requests for restitution received the fewest mentions.
Table 46: Types of services provided by type of victim services (VS) providers
4.3.3 Challenges to Access
In addition to the availability of victim services, the survey asked about accessibility. Three respondent groups - victim services providers, police, and advocacy groups were asked to comment on whether particular accessibility issues exist for victim services in their communities. Across all three respondent groups, a sizeable minority (approximately 10-2%) did not comment.
As seen in Table 47, police and advocacy groups have conflicting views about the accessibility of victim services. Few police perceive any difficulties with accessibility, and most advocacy group respondents say that some impediments exist. Victim services respondents represent a middle ground. While these respondent groups may disagree about the extent to which accessibility is a problem, there is considerable agreement about the reasons. However, one-third to two-thirds of respondents did not provide any additional explanations.
| Percentage of respondents who indicated challenges to accessing victim services: | Victim Services (N=318) | Police (N=686) | Advocacy Groups (N=47) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language barriers | 53% | 11% | 66% |
| Financial barriers | 43% | 6% | 77% |
| Services do not respond to cultural needs | 35% | 5% | 70% |
| Lack of victim services because of rural location | 29% | 9% | 55% |
| Services do not respond to needs of both genders | 26% | 6% | 53% |
| Physical barriers for person with disabilities | 21% | 3% | 51% |
Note: Respondents could provide more than one response; totals sum to more than 100%.
Respondents who gave no response are not represented in this table.
The most common challenge to accessing victim services mentioned by victim services providers is providing services to victims whose first language is not French or English. As Table 47 shows, about half said that language barriers exist in accessing victim services in their community. Two-thirds of advocacy groups and one-tenth of police agreed. A shortage of interpreters and translators and the existence of immigrant or diverse cultures in their communities were the main reasons offered.
Financial and cultural issues were mentioned by over one-third of victim services providers and about three-quarters of advocacy groups. Less than one-tenth of police agreed. The two main financial obstacles offered by survey respondents were transportation and/or childcare costs.
In interviews, several victim services providers indicated the importance of culturally sensitive services by noting that different cultures react differently to being victimized and, as a result, many individuals who belong to certain cultural groups choose not to report a crime or not to access victim services. They also mentioned the need for training in cultural sensitivity for victim services providers and the need for more cultural diversity among victim services providers. Similarly, a few police noted in interviews that some racial or ethnic groups exhibit a general mistrust of police, resulting in reluctance to access police-based victim services.
The absence of victim services in some rural locations is a challenge according to about one-third of victim services providers, half of advocacy groups, and one-tenth of police surveyed. Lack of adequate transportation is the major impediment to access. In interviews, victim services providers in both large and small centres mentioned the challenges in serving their geographic area. Respondents in large centres noted that while the city boundaries extend over a large area, many victim services are concentrated in the city centre. Respondents in small communities noted the difficulties in serving more rural areas. While a few victim services organizations do home visits to these rural locations, distance is a challenge faced by many victims.
About one-quarter of victim services respondents surveyed said that victim services are not responsive to the needs of both genders. Half of advocacy groups and 6% of police agreed. According to those interviewed, there are significantly fewer specialized victim services for men; many of the specialized services for victims of domestic and partner abuse serve women and child victims only. Interview respondents also indicated that not only are there fewer services for male victims, there has also been less education regarding male victimization, which results in very few men in these situations coming forward and asking for help. In addition, a few victim services and advocacy group interview respondents commented that individuals in same-sex relationships who experience partner abuse are disadvantaged because often these cases are not considered to be 'domestic' and thus are not included in the mandates of specialized victim services.
One-fifth of victim services respondents and half of advocacy groups mentioned accessibility issues for persons with disabilities. The most common difficulties mentioned were inaccessible buildings, and lack of appropriate transportation. Three victim services providers also mentioned insufficient staff for home visits.
In interviews, victim services providers also mentioned additional access issues that did not appear on the survey. Several believe that there is a lack of awareness of the available services, which could be rectified with more publicity for victim services and more education of both the public and criminal justice professionals about what services are available. In addition, a few cited the extensive waiting lists for services caused by the increase in the volume of cases without a corresponding increase in resources. Literacy was also mentioned by several respondents who indicated that victim services mail outs, brochures, and pamphlets are often too complex and are not understood by many individuals.
Lack of coordination, integration, and information-sharing among the various agencies and professionals was mentioned as an important challenge by a few victim services providers who were interviewed in large cities. A concern was expressed that non-acceptance by the formal criminal justice system limits referral by other organizations.
4.3.4 Improvements to Increase Accessibility of Services
Victim services providers were asked only in interviews about what could be done to improve accessibility of victim services. Few offered suggestions; however, those who did advanced a number of possible improvements. The main suggestion was that Police, Crown Attorneys, and judges would benefit from additional training on victims' issues. Likewise, victim services providers would benefit from training on cultural diversity and the needs of male victims and gay, lesbian, and trans-gendered victims of crime. Finally, a few victim services providers stated that increased collaboration and information-sharing among all professionals and victim services providers would be beneficial to victims and would facilitate their access to services. A few respondents also indicated that more outreach is needed.
4.3.5 Best Way to Inform Victims of Available Services
In interviews, victim services providers were asked what would be the best way to inform victims of services available in their community. Interviewees stressed flexibility and repetition, explaining that information should come from a variety of methods (written and oral) and should be provided at various points throughout the criminal justice process. According to several victim services providers, this is important because victims, at the time of the crime, are often too traumatized and overwhelmed to retain everything that is said to them. Therefore, while police should initially inform victims of available services both orally and in writing with a list of resources, victim services must follow up this contact by phone and/or mail. A few believe that victim services should first use written material to ensure that they are not too intrusive and to give the victim the opportunity to initiate contact with victim services.
Several of those interviewed also suggested public education and publicity through the media as effective methods for creating awareness. A few specialized victim services organizations mentioned the importance of having visible information on victim services in places such as doctors' offices, grocery stores, etc. According to these victim services providers, this type of publicity will assist in reaching victims of domestic violence and spousal abuse.
4.3.6 Post-sentencing Victim Services
In addition to victim services provided before final disposition, the Multi-Site Survey sought information about services provided post-sentencing. For this, probation officers, officials with CSC and federal and provincial parole personnel were asked about services they or others provided to victims during the post-sentencing phase.
According to those probation officers surveyed, a main service to victims is providing information related to offender's release on probation. Details on this are included in Table 52 and discussed in Section 4.4.4 below. A number of probation officers reported that they also provide the following types of services to victims: referring victims to other resources (38%); providing offender or disposition information (other than probation-related information) (13%); assisting victims with safety planning (11%); referring victims or providing information on victim services (10%); and generally serving as an information source (9%).
Corrections and parole personnel provide a number of services to victims as listed in Table 48 below. For many of these services at least two-thirds of survey respondents reported that their organization provides these.[22] All NPB respondents (100%) reported accompanying victims to parole board hearings, followed by 68% of provincial parole board respondent and 66% of Corrections personnel; and virtually all Corrections personnel (100%) and NPB (99%) provide victim notification once the victim has requested information.
In response to the question on the best ways to provide information to victims, interviewees stressed a need for flexibility and repetition, that a variety of methods (written and oral) should be used, and that it should be provided at various points throughout the criminal justice process. They explained that this is important because victims, at the time of the crime, are often too traumatized and overwhelmed to retain everything that is said to them.
| Percentage of respondents whose organization provides this service: | National Parole Board (N=85) | Correctional Service Canada (N=29) | Provincial parole board (N=22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistance with making requests for information | 93% | 86% | 46% |
| Victim notification once the victim has requested | 93% | 86% | 46% |
| Victim notification once the victim has requested information | 99% | 100% | 64% |
| Information about victim statements | 85% | 62% | 36% |
| Assistance with preparing victim statements | 44% | 35% | 27% |
| Assistance with requests to attend parole board hearings | 91% | 69% | 27% |
| Accompaniment to parole board hearings | 100% | 66% | 68% |
| Ensure that parole board members are aware of victim concerns | 87% | 66% | 68% |
| Referrals to other victim services | 52% | 72% | 41% |
Note: Respondents who gave no response are not represented in this table.
In addition, at least two-thirds of corrections and parole respondents are aware of other victim services that assist victims post-sentencing and, more specifically, with the parole process. These other services, found in Table 49, appear to help fill in some gaps in services identified in Table 48. For example, while 46% of provincial parole board respondents reported that their organization assists victims with making requests for information, 93% are aware of other organizations that provide this assistance. Further, while a minority of respondents reported that their organizations assist with the preparation of victim statements; over half of respondents reported that other organizations assist with victim statements. Table 49 provides the complete results for other services that assist victims post-sentencing.
| Percentage of respondents who report that other organizations provide this service: | National Parole Board (n=59) | Correctional Service Canada (n=24) | Provincial parole board (n=14) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistance with making requests for information | 78% | 79% | 93% |
| Victim notification once the victim has requested information | 58% | 58% | 79% |
| Information about victim statements | 53% | 75% | 71% |
| Assistance with preparing victim statements | 59% | 83% | 64% |
| Assistance with requests to attend parole board hearings | 56% | 58% | 57% |
| Accompaniment to parole board hearings | 64% | 67% | 36% |
| Ensure that parole board members are aware of victim concerns | 29% | 46% | 71% |
Note: Respondents who gave no response are not represented in this table.
While the above discussion concerns what assistance is available post-sentencing for victims, connecting victims to available services is an issue according to most corrections and parole respondents. When asked if they think there is a service gap between sentencing, and corrections or parole, about 60% of respondents said yes. Each respondent group provided slightly different suggestions for improving the situation, but they all revolved around better provision of information to victims. The main suggestions were that the criminal justice system should provide more information about services; victims should be advised of NPB and CSC services at sentencing; and more communication is needed between the NPB and CSC and other agencies.
[22] It is important to note that provincial parole board hearings vary from federal parole board hearings, for example, the National Parole Board policy permits a victim impact statement to be submitted, but provincial parole board policy may vary.
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