Victims' Rights Movement

Rising Crime Rates

A rise in crime rates in the 1960s sparked a “get tough on crime” attitude by politicians and the general public. In what can also be called the law and order movement, the criminal justice system, state and federal policymakers, and victim advocacy groups worked together to increase penalties for offenders. The treatment of crime victims by the criminal justice system also came under scrutiny. Early crime victimization studies identified a large gap between the number of crimes reported to police and the number of self identified crime victims. The often insensitive treatment of crime victims and witnesses by police, prosecutors, and judges was a major reason why victims were reluctant to ask law enforcement for help or to participate in prosecution. Law enforcement and prosecutors also began to recognize that addressing victims' problems resulting from the crime may increase victims' cooperation, thereby increasing the quality of evidence needed for successful prosecution.

The Feminist Movement

The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s drew attention to the crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence. Law enforcement and prosecutors often did not take these crimes seriously and often blamed the victims for abuse. In 1972, the first community-based programs-rape crisis centers- were opened. In 1976, the National Organization for Women established a task force on battered wives, thus initiating the battered women's movement. The feminist movement is credited with laws protecting the rights of sexually and physically assaulted women and the development of rape crisis programs and shelters for abused women and their children.

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