Power in the People: Victims' Rights and the Strengths Perspective

Affording victims their constitutional and statutory rights is more than an obligation to be dutifully performed by criminal justice agencies. Victim rights can be a mechanism for connecting and reconnecting victims of crime with their inherent capacities and strengths. The Strengths Perspective provides a framework for viewing victims’ rights as a powerful tool for assisting victims in identifying and leveraging their capacities. This session will explore the link between victims’ rights, which provide victims of crime with the right to meaningfully participate in the criminal justice system, and their strengths and resilience. In addition, this session will provide participants with Strengths based tools to use when working with victims of crime.

This conference is supported by Grant No. 2008-DD-BX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.