Introduction to working with victims of crime (2018)

This third edition is aimed at students and anyone interested in learning more about the needs of victims of crime and the best ways to intervene.

We present:

  • the most up-to-date concepts in victim intervention;
  • the particularities of this field of professional practice;
  • the main challenges in working with victims;
  • references, in-depth information and further reading.

Table of contents

Part One – The context and modes of intervention

Chapter 1 – Understanding the basics

  • Clarification of certain terms
  • A definition and brief description of crime
  • A portrait of victimization and risk factors
  • The evolution of victims’ rights and services

Chapter 2 – Understanding criminal victimization

  • Vulnerability and protection factors
  • The consequences of victimization
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Multiple” and “chronic” victimization
  • Secondary victimization
  • The consequences of victimization for loved ones

Chapter 3 – Identifying victims’ needs

  • Prioritizing needs
  • Information
  • Protection
  • Support
  • Occasional help
  • Professional therapeutic assistance
  • The repair

Chapter 4 – Working with victims of crime

  • A wide range of skills to master
  • Determining factors in the helping relationship
  • The main parameters of the helping relationship
  • Working with victims
  • Crisis intervention
  • Referring victims to the appropriate resources
  • Involving family and friends

Chapter 5 – Getting to know victim services

  • The main victim services
  • Compensation for Victims of Crime (IVAC)

Chapter 6 – Supporting victims in the criminal justice system

  • Criminal justice and court organization
  • Some key concepts in criminal law
  • The judicial process in criminal matters
  • Police intervention
  • From appearance to preliminary inquiry
  • The trial
  • Sentencing
  • Execution of the sentence
  • Recourse

Part Two – Specific interventions

Chapter 7 – Intervening in a context of domestic violence

  • The definition of domestic violence
  • Forms of violence
  • The scale of domestic violence
  • Factors that explain domestic violence
  • The dynamics of domestic violence
  • Children’s exposure to domestic violence
  • The consequences of domestic violence
  • The intervention
  • Danger assessment
  • Criminal and civil proceedings

Chapter 8 – Intervening in the context of sexual assault

  • The definition of sexual assault
  • Sexual assault and adult victims
  • Sexual abuse of children and adolescents

Chapter 9 – Responding to elder abuse

  • A brief history of the fight against abuse in Quebec
  • The problem and its scope
  • Definition
  • The consequences
  • Specific interventions

Chapter 10 – Responding to a homicide or disappearance

  • Homicide
  • Disappearances