Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Crime Victims
(Approximate Running Time: 40 Minutes)

This highly instructional tape, which presents a blend of clinical, theoretical, and practical mental health expertise, was developed as a component of the 1997 National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA) Project, co-sponsored by the Victims' Assistance Legal Organization (VALOR), California State University-Fresno, and the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center of the Medical University of South Carolina (NCVRTC). Anne Seymour, Public Safety Consultant and national experts in the field of crime victim assistance, as well as a Senior Faculty member of the NVAA, is the host of a panel discussion involving two nationally recognized experts in the field of mental health; Dr. Dean G. Kilpatrick, Professor and Director of NCVRTC. Findings from current mental health research are presented to achieve five learning objectives: (1) Why the juvenile and criminal justice systems should be concerned with crime-related psychological trauma of crime victims; (2) Identification of the major types of immediate and short-term trauma associated with crime victimization; (3) Identification of long-term crime-related psychological trauma of crime victims; (4) Factors related to victims' healing and recovery; and (5) How the criminal and juvenile justice systems can address the needs of traumatized crime victims. These learning segments may be used individually or collectively for a variety of educational and training purposes. This tape was produced by the Medical University of South Carolina's Health Communication Network.

"This project was supported by Grant Number 95-MU-GX-K002(S-2) awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs coordinates the activities of the following program offices and bureaus: Bureau of justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do no necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice."