Evaluating the challenges to victim services in North America

Abstract

The field of victim assistance has made many advances in the services over the last 50 years; however, victim assistance still faces the issue that many victims receive little or no assistance and many organizations struggle for sustainability. In order to address the challenges that victim assistance encounters, the following chapter sets out to discuss the importance of strategic planning, utilizing evidence-based research, integrating technology, and improving avenues for funding, all of which, it is argued, will strengthen the capacity of organizations to provide effective services to victims and become more sustainable.