Differences in Critical Perceptions of Legal Services among Victim Service Providers

• In Event: Policy Implications of Perceptions of Victims and Offenders

Abstract

Do victim service professionals differ in their perceptions of gaps in legal services for crime victims? Using qualitative data from 25 semi-structured interviews with professionals from the legal system and social services, this paper suggests that professionals’ perceptions of legal services vary as a function of institutional power. Characteristics contributing to greater institutional power include working for the legal system versus a non-profit, receiving government versus private funding, and serving crime victims generally versus a particularly underserved/vulnerable subgroup of crime victims. Thematic analysis revealed that professionals with less institutional power (e.g., a counselor at a non-profit serving undocumented victims versus a police officer) 1) identified a higher ratio of gaps to strengths in legal services; and 2) described a greater proportion of systemic/structural oppressions (e.g., racism) compared to organizational/logistical problems (e.g., few pro bono attorneys). Consistent with Foucaultian theory, these findings suggest that critique from the periphery versus the center of legal institutional power may be characterized by calls for system-wide transformation versus within-system refinements. Implications for policy and practice will be discussed. For example, effective collaboration across victim service professionals will require acknowledging differences in perceptions as well as negotiating reforms that target both system-wide oppressions and within-system problems.

Authors

• Tejaswinhi Srinivas, University of Denver

• Anne P. DePrince, University of Denver