Victim Advocacy Research Paper

Student Name: Lydia Mugridge

Question: Name a Victim Advocacy Organization: Give It’s Purpose, History, and Good or Bad Points.

An individual can become a victim from many situations such as natural disasters, accidents, or from one of the many social problems. These people are coined as victims because they endure hardships like injuries from situations they cannot control. In society today, there are many victim advocacy organizations that are focus on the task of helping victims of crimes recover from their difficult experiences. Each of these organizations have their own purpose, history, as well as good points. One of the groups that help crime victims is The National Center for Victims of Crime.

The National Center for Victims of Crime have a purpose when it comes to helping those who have suffered in the name of crime. They are a nonprofit organization that focus on helping victims and their loved ones that are harmed by crimes. This group also makes it their goal to train the individuals that work with victims. The National Center for Victims of Crime is noted to be a trusted reference when it comes to learning about issues pertaining to victims. They also helped victims gain a louder voice in the criminal justice system. However, this organization has its true

purpose of providing support and the capabilities of helping a victim rebuild their lives after living through a crime.
The history of The Nation Center for Victims of Crime goes back to 1985 when Alexander Auersperg and Ala Isham mother suffered greatly due to a criminal act.

Seeing how their mother was harmed and the disservice that the criminal justice system showed her they created the Sunny Von Bulow National Victim Advocacy Center, know The National Center for Victims of Crime. The siblings were disgusted at the experience their mother went through and shocked of how system that was suppose to protect and help their mother seemed to shut her out and victimize her yet again. Their goal then was to change way the criminal justice system saw crime victims and giving a bigger presence in the

system.
The National Center for Victims of Crime has many good points. One of them is that unlike many other victim advocacy organizations that focus on victims of one type of crime, they focus on victims of all crimes. They also take the time to make sure professionals know how to work with the victims. Being a nonprofit organization means that the rely on the good will of others to keep their organization running and for the last few decades have become the nation's leading organization in helping crime victims. This group goes out of their way in helping not only the victim, but also the victim's family and the community heal after being involved in the crime. Another good point is that they have helped people, such as law enforcement and the media, to see that there is more than just arresting the criminal when it comes to helping a victim.
In conclusion, The National Center for Victims of Crime is one of the many victim advocacy organizations that help the victims of crimes. Their purpose of helping a victim and those closest to them recover from the pain they endure from a crime seems to the stem from the organization's founding. The National Center for Victims of Crime, once known as the Sunny Von Bulow National Victim Advocacy Center, started because a tragic family experience. In which siblings wanted to change the system that seemed to harm the victim more. Thus, this organization started on the desire to help victims have a larger voice as well as help them move on in their lives.