Memorandum submitted by Victim Support
1. We do not have expertise in the area
of prisons and so have not responded to question 1 and we have
no evidence upon which to base comments related to question 4.
2. In addressing question 2 we have outlined
a number of areas in which more investment could be made, particularly
in relation to crime prevention, interventions aimed at tackling
the underlying causes of crime and approaches for which there
is evidence of effectiveness.
3. A growing body of research evidence suggests
that there is a relationship between victimisation and offending.
The link has been specifically identified among young people who
are at risk of both offending and victimisation. Being a victim
of crime at age 12 is the biggest predictor of being an offender
at 15 (and vice versa).[62]
In 2007 Victim Support published a research report Hoodie or
Goodie? The link between violent victimisation and offending.
This research identified risk and protective factors affecting
young people and their likelihood of becoming an offender following
victimisation or becoming a victim of violence following the commission
of a violent act. It also described the main pathways thought
to explain how victimisation can lead to offending and vice
versa, and identified other risk factors related to the victim's
perceptions and attitudes which increased the likelihood that
they would retaliate following an assault.
The young people interviewed as part of the
study were asked their views on the types of support that might
prevent future offending and victimisation and break the cycle
of victimisation and offending. They identified key aspects of
appropriate support which included: someone to talk to, impartial
support, a non-authoritarian approach, promotion of self-confidence,
practical ideas to stay safe, parental guidance and positive role
models, and more opportunities for recreation particular physical
and sporting activity supervised by an adult.
The findings in this report demonstrate the
importance of supporting young victims of crime and we suggest
that by enhancing young people's self-esteem and feelings of safety
and helping them to cope with the impact of victimisation, future
violent victimisation and offending can be prevented.
4. Following on from our research it is
clear that schools are very important places where key skills
can be learned. We welcome investment in education based interventions
such as SEAL (social and emotional aspects of learning) programmes
aimed at increasing the emotional literacy of children and young
people both at primary and secondary levels. We would also like
to see more investment in the teaching of PSHE in schools and
consideration of making it compulsory. Having a forum to address
topics such as dating violence and the effects of crime on victims
with young people is essential. Victim Support has produced an
Education Resource Pack, a set of adaptable session plans for
use with groups of children and young people in schools or with
youth groups. It can be downloaded from our website for children
and young people at www.are-you-ok.org.
It is divided into two sections, according to age group and consists
of six modules/session plans covering: victims and witnesses;
bullying; street crime; hate crime; healthy relationships; and
personal safety. We believe that investment in the education of
young people will have positive effects in terms of reducing offending
and the numbers of people in prison in the long-term.
5. We would also like to draw attention
to the fact that at least 50% of women in prison have been victims
of childhood abuse and/or domestic violence[63]
and that mental health problems are more prevalent amongst women
in prison than in the general population.[64]
We also know that being a victim of domestic violence can lead
to a range of mental health problems and that victims are also
six times more likely to abuse alcohol than women in general and
a quarter use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate.[65]
For women, the links between childhood abuse and/or domestic violence,
mental health problems and substance misuse, leading to later
offending and imprisonment are clear.
The importance of support and treatment services
for women affected by domestic and sexual violence can not be
over-emphasised. Where domestic violence has stopped, the risk
of moderate to severe PTSD symptoms is reduced to less than one
third and evidence suggests that the provision of advocacy to
domestic violence victims is effective in reducing violence, increasing
social support, increasing the use of safe behaviours and access
to community resources.[66]
If people, especially women, are to be diverted from the criminal
justice system there needs to be a focus on the support given
to victims of domestic violence and sexual violence and abuse
at an earlier stage. The same applies to women and men who have
been victims of sexual abuse in childhood, who are over represented
in the criminal justice system and prison.
6. Further investment could be made in approaches
which have been proven to reduce re-offending. Restorative justice
(RJ) is one of these approaches. For example, evidence suggests
that "rigorous tests of restorative justice ... have found
substantial reductions in repeat offending for both violence and
property crime".[67]
The evidence of the benefits of RJ for victims taking part in
face-to-face conferences is perhaps even greater and includes
reduced post-traumatic stress symptoms which in turn may reduce
the lifetime risks of coronary disease and consequently lead to
reduced costs to health services. There is more evidence on RJ,
with "more positive results, than there has been for most
innovations in criminal justice."[68]
7. Many organisations in the third sector
offer valued and effective services to different client groups
including victims of crime, young people and offenders. More investment
is needed to help these organisations develop their infrastructure
and capacity to deliver high quality, outcome oriented services
based around the needs of their user-group. Commissioners of services
from the third sector need training in order to transform their
understanding of outcomes, impact, how to use outcome data and
what success looks like. This knowledge and understanding needs
to be coupled with transparent commissioning processes and decision-making.
We understand that the Office for the Third Sector is commissioning
training programmes for commissioners, it is important that all
commissioners are enabled to take part and are supported by their
employers to implement their learning.
8. In terms of additional research (question
3) we suggest that more could be done to look at the impact of
victimisation in early life and the interventions and support
needed to prevent the development or exacerbation of mental health
and/or substance misuse problems and subsequent offending. There
is probably a considerable under-reporting of childhood sexual
abuse by men. Therefore the victimisation histories of men in
prison are not always known. It would be beneficial to explore
this area in more depth with a view to addressing problem behaviour
in boys at an earlier stage. We would also like to see more research
into or evaluation of projects providing mediation and dispute
resolution initiatives as well as peer mentoring.
9. There seem to be many different but overlapping
initiatives currently taking place within different Government
ministries and departments. The Review of Criminality Information
(Home Office), the Crime & Communities Review (Cabinet Office),
the Youth Crime Action Plan (Ministry of Justice/DCSF), and the
Violent Crime Action Plan (Home Office) for example, cover many
of the same or similar issues. We would like to see a more joined-up
approach to tackling important topics that are clearly linked.
Victim Support believes that a whole-system
approach is the best one and likely to be most effective. For
example, we would like to see an approach to youth crime reduction
which explicitly recognises the links to between youth victimisation
and offending and explores a set of approaches addressing the
needs of young offenders and young victims and issues of under-reporting
of crime in this age group, in a systemic way. Distinct referral
pathways and clarity around information sharing, as well as productive
working relationships between the various service providers working
with young people are essential. Only by designing `a whole system'
can agencies ensure that that no individual falls between the
gaps, and that approaches are cohesive and ultimately effective
for offenders and victims, some of whom are the same people.
10. In the long-term a move of resources
away from imprisoning offenders towards prevention would be welcome.
Investment in services to children and young people, identifying
early abuse and victimisation experiences, and addressing the
needs of women and children who are victims of domestic violence
at an early stage, would probably impact upon future prison numbers
and lead to significant financial savings in both the criminal
justice and health sectors. We acknowledge that such a shift of
resources would not be cost neutral in the short term and would
need investment at both ends of the system, as it were, initially.
However the long term effects could be considerable in terms of
reducing re-offending and consequently the numbers of victims.
April 2008
62 Smith, D (2004) The links between victimisation
and offending. Edinburgh: Centre for Law and Society, The
University of Edinburgh. Back
63
Women in Prison website (2008). Back
64
Home Office (2007) The Corston Report: a review of women with
particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system. Back
65
Barnish, M (2004) Domestic Violence: a literature review.
HM Inspectorate of Probation. Back
66
Ramsay, J, Rivas, C and Feder, G (2005) Interventions to reduce
violence and promote the physical and psychological well-being
of women who experience partner violence: a systematic review
of controlled evaluations Barts and the London. Queen Mary's
School of Medicine and Dentistry. Final Report June 2005. Back
67
Sherman, WS and Strang, H (2007) Restorative justice: the evidence
The Smith Institute, London. Back
68
Ibid. Back
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