ustice keen enough that it has found voice in a nationwide 'victims rights' movement" (Nicholson, 1992, April, p. 828).
The victim of crime plays a central role in the criminal justice system. Without the cooperation of victims, many crimes would go unreported. The victim often serves as a principal or the only witness of the crime itself, and his or her co-operation is needed in the process of apprehending the offender, such as when a victim agrees to be wired with sound recording equipment, in identifying suspects in a police lineup, as well as by filing a complaint, by providing statements to the police and by testifying in criminal court. Nevertheless, Acker said in 1992 that "little more than a decade ago, it was not uncommon for victims of crime to be ignored, mistreated, and even 'revictimized' during their interactions with the criminal justice system" (1992, January-February, p. 76). He said that "victims often perceive officials as treating them like insignificant cogs in the wheels of justice, allowing them no input into decisions" (p. 69):
In the wake of crime, many crime victims and their intimates begin to perceive themselves and the world around them in distressingly different terms. They may feel helpless, insecure, and threatened by what they once considered a safe and protective environment . . . many Americans are held hostage by the fear of crime (p. 65).
Extent of Victimization. The victims rights movement was fueled by soaring crime rates, which have risen steadily over the past three decades before leveling off or declining slightly in the mid-1990s. According to Cochran et al. (1996), "from 1960 to 1990, the rate of violent crimes per capita, the kind of crimes that generate the most fear and consequently have a consequently severe impact on urban life, increased 355 percent!" (p. 144). Jasper (1997) says that, in 1995, 39.5 million crimes were reported, 9.9 million violent and that "five out of ...