A Field Hungry for Data and Analysis: Policy Implications of Developments in NCVS and VSSRP for Crime Victim Assistance

• In Event: National Crime Victimization Survey Users' Group

Abstract

This presentation will discuss significant changes in policy and funding related to the crime victim assistance field, and the implications and potential that developments in NCVS and VSSRP data carry for guiding strategic investments and programming at the federal and state level. In 2013, the US Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) through its groundbreaking Vision 21 Report acknowledged the lack of sufficient research infrastructure to address key aspects of crime victimization and service provision. As part of a set of strategies identified in the Report, OVC partnered with BJS to support the development and dissemination of VSSRP and NCVS findings, and in bridging the translation gap between researchers and practitioners in realizing this vision for dramatic improvements in the national response to crime victims. This presentation will share more about federal efforts to support the field in moving from anecdote to evidence, and in promoting data collection and dissemination of greatest relevance for the field. Lastly, informed by the needs of practitioners and policymakers, it will address opportunities for researchers to utilize this data in pursuing key questions in victim assistance.

Author

• Heather Warnken, Office for Victims of Crime/Bureau of Justice Statistics