Victim Assistance

Thomas Underwood, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies, an interdisciplinary affiliation between Washburn University and California State University at Fresno. Dr. Underwood also serves as faculty for the Department of Human Services at Washburn University and for the Department of Criminology at CSUF. Christine Edmunds is a Victim Rights and Services Consultant and serves on the Executive Committee of the Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies. She co-founded the National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA) in 1995 and has served as senior faculty since that time. She is an adjunct professor for the California State University at Fresno and for Washburn University.

• Contents Contributors Introduction and Overview Acknowledgements Concepts of Victims Assistance, T.L. Underwood Ecological Perspective of Victimization, N.D. Palmer and T.L. Underwood Exploring Attitudes Toward Violence and Victimization, T.L. Underwood and S.D. Walker Barriers to Service, R. Ellis and K. Hart The Psychological and Physiological Impact of Stress, D.L. Petersen and S.D. Walker Trauma and the Crime Victim, D.L. Petersen The Justice System and Victims, T.L. Underwood Victims of Sexual Abuse and Assault: Adults and Children, N. Palmer and C. Edmunds Victims of Criminal Death, C. Edmunds, D.L. Petersen and T.L. Underwood Violence within Family Systems, N. Palmer and C. Edmunds Victims of Hate and Bias Crimes, R. Ellis Victim Advocacy and Public Policy, C. Edmunds and T.L. Underwood Issues for the Profession, T.L. Underwood