If you have issues viewing or accessing this file, please contact us at NCJRS.gov. / Y ./ A Community Response Manual f~ 0 Office for Victims American Probation and DVC of Crime ® Parole Association / I I~'-/o~1 ./ A Celebrity [Resp©~se/~a~a~ {C ) " @~'(~ Office for Victims American Probation and of Crime Parole Association Author Anne K. Seymour ISBN #0-87292-888-8 Copyright 2001 This document was prepared by the American Probation and Parole Association in cooperation with The Council of State Governments, under grant number 96-VF-GX-K001, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. L ............................... TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................... i SETTING THE STAGE FOR ADDRESSING VICTIM NEEDS AND ISSUES IN OFFENDER REENTRY .......................................................................................................... 1 Offender Reentry: A Victim's Perspective .................................................................................... 1 What is Offender Reentry? .......................................................................................................... 2 Who Are the "Partners" in Reentry Initiatives? ............................................................................. 3 National Survey Findings ............................................................................................................ 4 Purpose of this Document .......................................................................................................... 4 STRATEGIES FOR INVOLVING COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND VICTIMS IN REENTRY PARTNERSHIPS .................................................................................................. 7 Defining "Community". .............................................................................................................. 7 The Role of Community Members in Supporting Victims Throughout the Offender Reentry Process ...................................................................................................... 8 Can the Community Have a Role in Determining and Meeting Victims' Needs? ................................... 9 Support .................................................................................................................................. 10 Advocacy ................................................................................................................................ 11 Liaison Services ....................................................................................................................... 12 Public Awareness ..................................................................................................................... 13 Victims' Rights in the Reentry Process: Victim Notification ............................................................... 15 Reasons for Victim Notification ................................................................................................. 15 Guidelines for Victim Notification Throughout the Offender Reentry Process ..................................... 16 The Role of Community Reentry Volunteers in Victim Notification ............................................... 18 Victims' Rights in the Reentry Process: Victim Protection ................................................................. 19 Victim Safety Throughout Justice and Reentry Processes ............................................................ 19 Assessing Victim Safety ............................................................................................................ 20 The Role of Community Reentry Volunteers in Victim Protection ................................................ 23 Victims' Rights in the Reentry Process: Defining Victim Impact ........................................................ 25 Victim Impact Statement Overview ............................................................................................ 25 Who Is Allowed to Submit a Victim Impact Statement? .......................................................... 25 Types of Victim Impact Statements ...................................................................................... 26 Model Victim Impact Statement ................................................................................................ 26 Integrating Victim Impact Statement Issues into Preentry and Reentry Offender Casework ...................................................................................................... 27 Victim Impact Statements and Offender Reentry ........................................................................ 27 Community and Neighborhood Impact Statements ..................................................................... 29 continued on next page Victims' Rights in the Reentry Process: Victim Restitution ................................................................ 31 Promising Practices in Victim Restitution ................................................................................... 31 The Role of Community Reentry Volunteers in Victim Restitution ................................................ 33 PROMISING PRACTICES FOR REENTRY PARTNERSHIPS ........................................................... 35 Guiding Principles and Values of Restorative Justice ................................................................... 35 Promising Practices .................................................................................................................. 38 The Kirkholt Burglary Prevention Project .............................................................................. 38 The Cocoon Neighborhood Watch .................................................................................. 39 Findings from the Kirkholt Project ................................................................................... 39 Attributes of the Kirkholt Project ..................................................................................... 40 Can This Strategy Be Applied to Other Communities and Offenses? .................................. 40 Applying Kirkholt Theories and Practices to Offender Reentry Partnerships and the Victim's Role in the United States .................................................................. 41 Victim Advisory Councils ..................................................................................................... 42 Considering Victims' Needs When Assessing Offenders' Risk ................................................. 43 "Impact of Crime on Victims" Programs ............................................................................... 45 Course Description ........................................................................................................ 46 Instructor/Facilitator Selection ........................................................................................ 46 Resources to Develop the "Impact of Crime on Victims" Program ..................................... 47 Accountability Boards .......................................................................................................... 47 Community Accountability and Support Groups .................................................................... 47 Victim-Sensitive Parole Revocation Processes ........................................................................ 48 Informational Resources for Victims ..................................................................................... 49 Restorative Community Service ............................................................................................ 49 The Role of Community Members in Restorative Community Service ........................................................................................................ 51 Offender Apologies ............................................................................................................. 51 VICTIMS AND THE OFFENDER REENTRY PROCESS: SOME FINAL THOUGHTS ....................... 53 ENDNOTES ................................................................................................................................. 55 I'he Victim's Role in Offender Reentr~ APPENDICES Appendix A: Safety Checklist for Victims of Crime ...................................................................... 57 Appendix B: Thirty-nine Possible Rights to Notification that Directly Apply to Offender Reentry Initiatives .................................................................................... 59 Appendix C: Sample Multi-agency Pressure-sensitive Forms (used in AZ for pre-conviction and post-conviction notification) ................................. 61 Appendix D: Sample Victim-sensitive Victim Notification Letter .................................................... 65 Appendix E- Standard Conditions of Supervision Specific to Victims' Needs and Concerns ......................................................................................................