Officium - domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim support

domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim supportMy handbook aims to direct people affected by violent crime to all that is best and known from my research and experience. It encourages people to strive to be assertive and not trapped and typecast living as permanent ‘victims’. domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim support It covers matters like trauma, death, disability, the media, the police, going to court and services. It explains how to confidently seek help and if necessary how to pursue a formal complaint. This handbook will be periodically revised to remain up to date with policy, legal and community changes and to include or exclude agencies. It explains the complex, expensive, often degrading and drawn-out CICA compensation process combining easy references and directory listings for selecting the best experts of trauma specialists and solicitors across England, Scotland and Wales. It has three main areas 1) the personal survivor needs, 2) the complex legal CICA process and compensation issues and 3) social / government policy, why, as a wealthy nation we treat victims as we do, and suggest community and national empowerment proposals for the future like setting-up small and regional groups. This handbook aims to break and confront the anguished silent isolation a survivor of violent crime is often placed in by institutions, and an ambivalent society. An inclusive guide has never been achieved before. Others have written with a minimal cluster of précised points and telephone numbers, or a detached often academic perspective, or kept the obvious and common sense parts of a person’s life fragmented - never treating a person as a whole. Instead, referring to people’s needs like shattered glass keeping inter-connected parts of a person’s life isolated. This handbook weaves current political, policy and social issues affecting us all as citizens - especially people affected by violent crime. It is about the important obvious common sense matters people need to know that makes this handbook inclusive. This is a small contribution to the huge struggle for justice domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim supportdomestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim support

Survive, May 2003

Surviving Violent Crime is very comprehensive and an excellent resource for the victims of crime and those services assisting them.

As an organisation that supports victims of sexual abuse we very much welcome this informative guide to organisations that can help, and will be a valuable addition to our library. We do not know of any other publication that provides so much practical advice from the confident perspective from someone that does not expect to be labelled ‘victim’ for life.

The book is clearly laid out and easy to use with many examples of people struggling to come to terms with their pain. It will aid readers to begin to understand their condition and be able to deal with it successfully. People will then go from a negative self -image to one of bringing power back into their lives and altering them for the better. SURVIVE promotes the philosophy of self -help and "Surviving Violent Crime" will be an additional tool in that process. The handbook is very impressive.

© May 2003 Survive

Mothers Against Murder And Aggression (MAMAA), May 2003

This is a serious study of the process of trying to return to normality against all the odds. As if being a victim of violent crime is not enough to contend with, there is then the seemingly endless procedure of dealing with the police, victim support, social services and all the other agencies that should be in place to help victims but are not.

A handbook of this kind is long overdue and should be compulsory reading for every police officer, barrister, GP, and Coroner. In fact anyone that ever has to deal with a victim of violent crime on any level.

Simon Duckett’s book is clearly written without the usual academic language that often blinds ordinary people with science, but more importantly it is written without a trace of anger or bitterness for the dreadful suffering that the author himself endured.

A well-written and searingly honest account of what happens when support systems are either run badly or not in place at all and how good practice and caring make a world of difference to the eventual recovery process for the victim.