Problem
Examine the scope of victim advocacy, particularly by thoroughly discussing each of the following and provide references with links to each:
I. What is the chief role of victim advocates? What might their day-to-day activities include? How do (or should) victim advocates interact with other key players in the criminal justice system?
II. What are the boundaries of the general field of victim advocacy? Are there subdivisions within this field? If so, what are they and why did they arise?
III. What are the similarities and differences between the federal and state level victim advocacy programs that exist within your state? Look beyond just the kinds of victim rights that each might provide to other interesting aspects. For example, how are each funded? Are they administrative agencies or part of the judicial branch of government, or perhaps something else? Does each such program have the same or different foci than the other? Do each of them share resources, including other kinds of community partners, with each other? What else did you learn?
IV. Are there any basic theories or codes of conduct that control, or at least influence, how victim advocacy work is conducted? If so, what are they, and from which disciplines (e.g., law, criminology, sociology, psychology, healthcare, etc.) did they arise? If multiple fields are influencing victim advocacy, then is that good or not? Why?
V. For whom do victim advocates work? Consider this in the broadest sense by going beyond simply identifying the employers. How should such advocates' allegiances be aligned?
VI. And now that you are armed with this kind of knowledge, please answer these questions:
VII. How did conducting research help you to expand what you may have already known about victim advocacy? Did you learn any new research techniques or resources to help you learn more about this area of law, or to explore within any other allied field (e.g., criminology, sociology, psychology, healthcare, etc.)? Does (or can) technology help in any way?