Discuss the Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services report released by the U.S. Department of Justice What is it? According to the report, what recommendations should be considered for the field to continue to make progress and why?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

For victim services to continue to progress, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs released a report titled Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services, detailing recommendations to be considered for the field to progress. The Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services report argues that victim assistance has paid a price for its less-than-unified strategic efforts. Strategic planning is invaluable to identifying more diversified sources of funding. It also argues that the evaluation of programs and services needs to become an integral part of these organizations. Conducting continual assessment will not only better inform the strategic plan of the organization, but also ensure that the programs offered are victim centered, evidence based, and accountable. Additionally, it argues that the field of victim assistance, too, needs to develop a technology infrastructure to increase the profile, accessibility, and responsiveness of programs. And last, it argues that agencies and key constituencies need to work together with congress to revise the funding formula for programs to expand assistance to more crime victims and strengthen the administrative framework to effectively manage funding. The four (4) recommendations made in this report include (1) Improving Strategic Planning, (2) Focusing on Evidence-Based Research, (3) Integration of Technology, and (4) Funding for Victim Assistance Programs.