North Dakota plans to establish a Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) system that provides victims of crime timely notification of criminal justice events relating to their case and the status of the accused/offender throughout the criminal justice process. Because North Dakota has already had success with sharing information through the Criminal Justice Information Sharing (CJIS) program, the governance structure and technology will be leveraged for the SAVIN system.
Automated victim notification (AVN) is often touted as an effective and efficient means for providing victims timely and accurate information of their offenders' court events and status changes at reduced burden to the criminal justice system. AVN systems, first introduced in 1994, operate by receiving electronic data (e.g. case number, offender demographics) from participating branches of the criminal justice system, coding the data to determine what type of notification is most appropriate based on the offenders' status change (e.g. release, transfer), and then transmitting the data to registered users using standardized language. AVN systems also allow users to proactively check offender status through a secured website or by calling into a toll-free hotline where additional information and referrals may be available. In 2005, Congress established the SAVIN program (Pub. L. 110-5, emb. secs. 101-104; Pub. L. No. 109-108, 119 State. 2290, 2299; 28 U.S.C. 530C(a)(1)) to provide funding as well as critical structure and oversight to ensure the AVN services are implemented and occur in a timely and standardized manner. Since the inception of the SAVIN program, BJA has provided funding and oversight to 40 states and Puerto Rico, totally more than $50 million. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice funded ICF International to study the implementation and operation of AVN systems in supporting victims of crimes. This report documents the methodology and findings from this evaluation and examines the implications for policy and practice.
This book covers the scope of crime victims’ suffering in the U.S., offering a history of victims and the measurement of victimization, an explanation of the victim’s role in the criminal justice process, and a recounting of the issues crime victims face as a result of crime and the criminal justice process. Doerner and Lab, both well-regarded scholars, write compellingly about how the current criminal’s justice system can be transformed into a victim’s justice system. Theory is woven together with the description of each topic, and specific examples illustrate each point. The book goes on to address the full impact of victimization, and a final section details specific types of victimization, ranging from violent crimes, including child and elder abuse, to property crime, to crime in the school and in the workplace. The authors explain how obstacles hinder the pursuit of justice, and provide significant policy and programming suggestions to render the system more victim-friendly. Appropriate for undergraduate as well as early graduate students in Victimology courses in Criminology, Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Justice Studies programs, this book offers rich pedagogical features and online student resources as well as test bank, PowerPoint lecture slides, and sample syllabus for instructors.
Our personal choices in life have profound often devastating effects on the lives others. This is the story of Jo Jo Gigliotti; he lived a wonderful, unfinished life. His daughter, Carla shares the journey her family was forced to take after they were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives when his life was taken by a drunk driver on April 24, 2008. The book is written in keeping with the vow the family made to be the voice of her dad and other victims of drinking and driving. It will take you into the heart of the tragedy where the familys healing was hindered due to the criminal proceedings involved with the prosecution of the drunk driver. Families facing a similar situation will find detailed information and resources to help them understand and navigate the complex criminal justice system. You will receive a glimpse into the roles of law enforcement, prosecutors, and defense attorneys during the prosecution of the drunk driver and the heart-wrenching toll the process takes on the family. Carlas life was forever changed that day. She has embraced the traumatic event a drunk driver embedded in her family history, in hope that others will gain knowledge while receiving comfort, and healing, knowing they can emerge from the darkness brought by death and grief. You may not emerge the same person you were but you can emerge a survivor with peace and hope restored in your life once again. That is Carlas wish for you as you read her fathers story and share in her familys walk through grief.
Identifies and describes specific government assistance opportunities such as loans, grants, counseling, and procurement contracts available under many agencies and programs.
Millions in our nation are under some type of judicial sanction, with some individuals behind bars but the majority serving their sentences while living and working among us. Introduction to Corrections examines predominant issues related to the system of administering to offenders in the United States. Written in a simple, concise style and enhanced with discussion questions and a list of key terms in each chapter, this volume begins with an overview of the system and a historical review and then focuses on select issues, including: Sentencing goals and rationales, and types of sentencing Noncustodial supervision, including probation, electronic monitoring, home confinement, halfway houses, and offender registration Parole and postconfinement release Jail, prison, and jurisdictional differences in correction systems Challenges faced by corrections personnel, including overcrowding, health issues, sexual assault in institutions, and prison gangs Constitutional challenges to inmate controls Issues related to victims’ rights, including federal and state funds and notification programs Correctional counseling perspectives and prevailing sociological theories Controversies surrounding capital punishment in the United States Juvenile corrections, including probation, parole, and life sentences for minors The evolution of corrections in the United States has spanned three centuries and has moved from an origin of basic community-based confinement to an extensive system that includes federal, state, local, private, and military facilities and programs. Examining diverse topics relevant to a range of professionals in the corrections community, this book explores the functions of corrections as well as those who serve in the profession.
