Giving Voice to Crime Victims: An Examination of Victim Survey Findings from the Evaluation of the OVC Wraparound Victim Legal Assistance Network (WVLAN) Demonstration Program

• In Event: Seeing it Through Their Eyes: Understanding and Intervening with Victims of Crime

Abstract

In 2012, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) funded the OVC Wraparound Victim Legal Assistance Network (WVLAN) to support six demonstration sites (Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Texas) to create holistic wraparound services for victims of crime. The purpose of this demonstration program is to begin addressing the many legal needs and challenges that victims of crime experience, ranging from asserting their rights in criminal proceedings to a variety of civil legal issues (e.g., employment, housing, immigration, child custody). The National Institute of Justice funded ICF International to perform an evaluation of the six demonstration sites. This presentation will focus on baseline findings from the Crime Victim Survey, designed to provide the perspective of crime victims who seek and/or receive legal services related to their victimization. The primary purpose of this survey is to understand perceptions of service delivery, types of assistance received, how these services meet needs, barriers to service receipt, and satisfaction, as well as elicit recommendations on how to better serve victims’ legal needs. Additionally, this presentation will discuss methodological challenges and lessons learned.

Authors

• Sara Debus-Sherrill, ICF International

• Kayla Frazee, ICF International

• Samantha Lowry, ICF International

• Alana M. Henninger, ICF International / CUNY Graduate Center