Improving Community Response to Crime Victims

An Eight-Step Model for Developing Protocol

"Improving Community Response to Crime Victims is a thoughtful and well-organized outline of steps and considerations for those who are serious about starting and maintaining an interagency team effort to respond to almost any type of serious interpersonal crime. Their commitment to victims is evident as the driving force throughout. They recognize that even small and relatively isolated communities have an impressive wealth of resources that can be marshalled to improve interagency coordination. And even communities with a tradition of good interdisciplinary cooperation can benefit from the process described here and enhance their response to victims, while achieving improved case outcomes." --from the Foreword by Patricia A. Toth, J.D. Use of interdisciplinary teams has been lauded as the most effective and successful approach to investigating and prosecuting physical and sexual abuse cases. However, such teams are often difficult to create and maintain. Improving Community Response to Crime Victims demystifies the process of establishing teams with an eight-step model called the "protocol development cycle." Informed by their extensive contact with a wide variety of professionals and communities, authors Anita B. Boles and John C. Patterson provide accessible and well-organized guidelines for those who are serious about starting and maintaining an interagency team to respond to almost any type of interpersonal crime. The book includes exercises and training materials along with sample letters, forms, press releases, and other documents designed to better aid community teams in assessing the response to crime and identifying any gaps in service. Presented in a practical and hands-on style, the information here will aid in the ongoing process of team protocol assessment, evaluation, review, and revision. Improving Community Response to Crime Victims skillfully addresses the challenge of interdisciplinary efforts and is an integral resource for therapists, investigators, prosecutors, medical personnel, government representatives, victim service providers, and others concerned with coordinating interagency assistance to victims of crime.