In 2017, the National Institute of Corrections and the National Crime Victim Law Institute began work on a project to analyze existing rights and services, identify gaps and opportunities for inter-agency collaboration, and draft a set of recommendations to assist jurisdictions in the development of systems to improve rights compliance and implementation of integrated trauma-informed services post conviction.
Stakeholders participating in this project collaboratively envisioned a model of trauma-informed post-conviction systems, processes, laws, and policies that were responsive to the rights, needs, and recovery of victims while holding offenders accountable and promoting safe communities. As a result of this collaboration, a list of recommendations were developed that aim to move post-conviction services and systems toward consistently affording victims their rights-including the rights to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect-and recognizing victims as integral actors in, and consumers of, meaningful and effective post-conviction systems. This paper is the product of project efforts.
