One of our policy papers at Victim Support is called Criminal Neglect: No Justice Beyond Criminal Justice. It shows how the wider needs of victims of crime, such as housing and social care, are often ignored.
It also underpins our practice of trawling through legislation before parliament and latest government policy to find opportunities for measures and amendments that will meet those needs of victims of crime that are not the responsibility of the criminal justice system.
These opportunities aren't difficult to find. Criminal justice policy is finally recognising the rights of victims of crime that are the responsibility of the criminal justice system to uphold and protect. The Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 gives effect to the Victims' Code of Practice, which sets out clear obligations owed by the criminal justice system to inform and support victims of crime. Compare this approach with the recent adult social care green paper that does not even recognise the possibility that someone might have social care needs as a result of being a victim of crime. The effect of this omission is that the same person is being given different messages about the importance of their needs being met.
A recent exception to this gap in support for victims of crime was the response to the attacks in London on 7 July. Several agencies including social services, police, Victim Support and the Red Cross worked together at the Family Assistance Centre to support people who were affected by the attacks. This approach demonstrated how it is possible to respond to victims of crime in a way that recognises the needs of the whole person.
One consequence of not considering the social care needs of victims of crime is that the effects of crime on a person's well-being and ability to be a part of society may be misdiagnosed and remain unsupported with serious consequences.
This year the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published its Social Exclusion Interim Report. It showed that older burglary victims are more than twice as likely to die within two years of a burglary as older neighbours who are not burgled. This research implies that an older person's health is affected by being a victim of crime, not necessarily as a result of their age. While a main aim of the green paper is to tackle social exclusion faced by people who use social services, it must also recognise that the effects of crime aren't just the responsibility of the criminal justice system: just because the government is divided into different departments, it doesn't mean that people are.
Joanna Perry is policy manager, Victim Support.
