International Journal on Criminology Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 2014 | Page 59
The Impact of Victimological Theories on the Rights of Crime Victims in France
be listened to. The conditions in which
the victim is received are essential to their
recognition, from the moment they report
the offense, to the execution of court
decisions. There is a need for dedicated,
adapted premises, with the necessary technical
equipment (for audiovisual or digital
recordings of hearings), in order to record
the first, always difficult, moments in
which the victim recalls their experience.
These must help to avoid repetition of the
painful circumstances of the victimization
further down the line. In all of these locations,
multidisciplinary teams or specially
trained personnel must be available to listen
to victims and help them express themselves,
during the physical and psychological
ordeal of recounting their experiences.
Such an ability to listen and, above all, to
reformulate what the victim has expressed
does not come naturally: it requires specialist
training and continuing professional
development. If they cannot share the painful
emotions created by the crime, victims
become highly frustrated and struggle to
understand. They may experience doubts
about the usefulness of the process and the
real gravity of the events, or feel that the
criminal justice system is defending its own
interests. The victim’s statements need to
be heard and believed, as part of the presumption
of victimhood. There is nothing
more traumatizing than having one’s words
doubted, without nuance or precaution.
They also need to be understood (if necessary,
via an interpreter). This needs to happen
at a pace that spares them physical and
psychological fatigue, and irreproachable
professional methods need to be observed.
All victims have the right to help
in the form of emergency financial or material
assistance, when such resources exist.
Dedicated funds should be made available
to victim support services in particular, so
that they can meet the immediate material
needs after the offense: cash, hotel bookings,
and taxis home, for example. Moreover, citizen
support from trained volunteers in the
hours immediately following the victimization
should be promoted, to meet needs
such as collecting children from school,
checking whether any domestic constraints
might cause additional distress, securing
premises after burglary in agreement with
the local authorities, and driving the victim
to the various locations where their victimization
will be addressed.
All victims have the right to be informed
about the results and characteristics
of the proceedings that might be engaged,
be they criminal, civil, administrative, or
disciplinary. They must therefore be able to
call upon any relevant institutions or services.
Information also has an influence on
the victim’s precise rights in getting their
demands met, as regards the situation of the
perpetrator and their punishment. This requires
widespread victim support services,
“one-stop shop” registries, forensic units,
and legal advice centers which are adapted
to the specific characteristics of territories.
Also important in this respect is the recent
extension of the judge delegated for victims,
assisted by a victims’ bureau, to all regional
courts. Primarily, the role of victim support
services seems to be primordial in assisting
victims in the wider sense, in terms of legal
information, and psychological and social
help. The huge decrease in public funding
is incomprehensible, given the needs so
frequently expressed by victims, and the
savings that could be made by offering immediate
professional support following the
event.
All victims have the right to protection
from the perpetrator, and all necessary
measures must be taken to avoid contact.
To achieve this, the perpetrator can be
banned from receiving, meeting, or entering
into contact with the victim in any way,
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