DOJ Report and Recommendations on Victim Services

The Office for Victims of Crime within the Department of Justice recently released Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services Final Report.  As part of the Vision 21 initiative, five organizations received federal funding to examine the current state of the victim assistance field, and five stakeholder forums were held in different regions of the country.

The report includes a comprehension examination of the victim assistance field, and recommendations falling into four broad categories:

1. conducting continuous, rather than episodic, strategic planning;
2. supporting the development of research to expand evidence-based knowledge;
3. ensuring the statutory, policy, and programmatic flexibility to address enduring and emerging victim issues; and
4. building capacity through technology, training, and innovation to ensure that the field is equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century.