On the Relationship between Criminological Research and Policy: The Case of Crime Victims

The past two decades have seen a growing interest in the topic of crime victims. This has been reflected in intensive legislative activity and policy reforms, accompanied by a not inconsiderable body of research. The question arises, however, as to whether and to what extent there is any connection between the policy reforms and the research. This question arises, of course, in other areas of criminological policy—as, indeed, in other areas of social policy. Thus crime victims may be seen as a case study for the analysis of a more general issue. The current article attempts to evaluate how far criminological policy in general, and victim policy in particular, is research driven. The same issue is then approached from another perspective: what are the factors that influence policy making, and what, if any, is the role of research in this? This analysis is followed by a review of the findings of victim research, in order to indicate their implications for victim policy, in the event of such policy becoming research oriented.1