Search results for category: Victim SupportExperts agree that colleges have improved campus safety over the past 20 years. Shuttle vans, escorts, call boxes and electronic ID for dorm access were once standard only at a few schools. And where unarmed night watchmen used to stroll the grounds, today many campuses employ armed security guards with police-academy training. In the post-9/11 era and in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, vigilance is at an all-time high, and most students say they feel safe. However, many security experts believe schools still have a way to go.
More than half of rape cases never make it to trial-simply because victims cannot afford the cost. It's a simple medical form that requires a doctor's signature. Without it, a rape victim has no chance of winning a case against her attacker. But getting the form signed costs 150,000 to 300,000 cedis. As a result, officials estimate, more than half of rape victims simply give up their hope of justice.
I believe all of these people should be expected to make amends for their wrong doings. I fully believe in the process of restorative justice which is part of Gandhi’s belief in Satyagraha.
Some sexual assault victims could benefit from meeting their attackers to tell them how the offence had affected their lives, one of the state's most respected judges has said. This controversial "restorative justice" approach would involve perpetrators sitting down with victims, or victims' representatives, admitting the crime and providing some reparation.
The Organization of American States, or OAS, has fined the government of Columbia for the murder of an indigenous activist and ordered the fine to be paid to the family, in restitution, and to their indigenous community, in reparation for damages to their indigenous rights.
In a move to lend additional support to victims of crime and their family members, the Royal Bahamas Police Force launched its first Victim Support Unit (VSU) yesterday.
Every Colombian expresses public support for the cessation of violent acts which bloody the nation. There is also apparent consensus that restorative justice must be the foundation to any peace process, that victims should be afforded reparations, and that those involved should tell the whole truth about their acts of violence as a pre-requisite to becoming beneficiaries of society’s generosity. Disclosure of the whole truth in particular appears to be the first step towards justice and reparations.
Mack has consulted with Emory University religion professor Thee Smith about how a reconciliation approach would fit into hate crime sentences. Smith, who helped found Southern Truth and Reconciliation, which explores human rights abuses and advocates for restorative justice, is a firm believer in community or group conferencing.
Since her daughter's death nearly two years ago, Virginia Delgado has mourned the loss of her child, but her grief was deepened by the fact that, without a headstone, she could not leave flowers at her daughter's grave site. A week ago, the Arizona Department of Corrections and three inmates from the Safford prison lessened Delgado's grief a little bit by donating a headstone, which was custom-made by the inmates.
Providing support and comfort through the rituals of funerals and wakes is one of the ways in which the church is obligated to respond to violence, according to Bishop Garcia-Siller and several priests who serve in communities where such violence has happened all too often.
|
RJ Today
Categories:
Community Action (87)
Courts (43)
Crime Prevention (38)
Law Enforcement (56)
Offender Support (76)
Prisons (21)
Public Education (132)
Restorative Systems (93)
Victim Support (130)
|
Copyright 2007-2008 Prison Fellowship International -
Reprint Policy