Victims of crime
Support
Supporting victims of crime and making reparation to them is
seen as a vital part of the criminal justice system, particularly
where the offenders are young people. It can help to mitigate the
effects of the crime on its victims and help offenders to
appreciate the harm they have done.
The support we can offer includes keeping victims informed of
the progress of the case and provide information about available
support services.
The police pass the names of victims to us and in appropriate
cases we ask them if they would like to be involved in a
restorative justice intervention, whereby the offender does
something to make amends for the crime.
Victim Liaison Scheme
We operate a Victim Liaison Officers in conjunction with 3
Kent-based mediation services. We have recently doubled the number
of Victim Liaison Officers to 6 to increase and improve the support
they can provide. Victim Liaison Officers liaise with victims of
crime and invite them, where appropriate, to be included in the
youth justice process. This can include attendance at a meeting of
a Referral Order Panel when victims have an opportunity to express
their feelings about the crime and their views on how best to deal
with the offender.
Many victims simply want to know what has happened to the
offender. Others wish to meet the offender and undertake some form
of victim-offender mediation. These meetings can have a profound
impact on the offender as well as being very helpful to the
victim.
Through the work undertaken at Referral Panels many victims now
have a face-to-face meeting with the offender if the young person
is made subject to a Referral Order.
However, it is entirely up to the victim to decide whether or not
to take part in the youth justice process - there is no pressure to
do so.
Read more about:
There is more
information for victims of crime on the Youth Justice
Board's website.