Victim Satisfaction with Criminal Justice: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The authors conducted a systematic review on the topic of victim satisfaction with criminal justice to examine which aspects of the procedure and the legal outcome are associated with victim satisfaction. The systematic review resulted in 22 articles. Factors were conceptualized into (1) variables related to the procedure and (2) variables related to the outcome. The study uncovered covariates of satisfaction in both categories. Findings, however, were ambiguous. The mixed findings suggest there is a need to understand both the differences among victims and when certain facets are more important in influencing satisfaction with the judicial process.

Keywords:

• systematic review
• victim satisfaction
• criminal justice
• quality of the procedure
• quality of the outcome

Notes

1. To conduct a review, it is necessary to identify a date that may be used as an indication of a shift in perspective. The 1985 U.N. Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power was a milestone for victim rights. This document acknowledged that until that point, victim rights had not been sufficiently recognized. Within the U.N. Declaration, stipulations surrounding fairness—through participation and proper treatment, compensation, and victim assistance—were laid down to support victims in criminal proceedings. In the same year, the well-known study “Victims in the Criminal Justice System” (Shapland, Willmore, & Duff, 1985), empirically established that victims were largely dissatisfied with the justice system. The study revealed a sharp contrast between victims' needs and what the justice system was actually offering.