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"This important new book on criminology is a major attempt to evaluate actual victim compensation programs as well as their political and economic contexts, through the eyes of the victims themselves. Elias traces the experiences of violent-crime victims throughout the entire criminal justice process, comparing New York's and New Jersey's victim compensation programs. He shows how programs differ when compensation is viewed essentially as welfare and when it is viewed as a right. The study uses extensive interviews with officials and with violent crime victims. The study indicates victim compensation programs largely fail to achieve their stated goals of improving attitudes toward the criminal-justice system and the government. The programs produce poor attitudes toward government and criminal justice."--Provided by publisher.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Prologue -- The Missing Ball Thrower -- Introduction: American Dreams -- A Fit for a Fractured Society: Baseball and the American Promise -- Part I. Dreams of Diversity: Race, Ethnicity, and Baseball -- 1. The Greatest Season: From Jackie Robinson to Sammy Sosa -- 2. Jackie Robinson's Legacy: Baseball, Race, and Politics -- 3. The Beauty of the Game -- 4. Sammy Sosa Meets Horatio Alger: Latin Ballplayers and the American Success Myth -- 5. From Hardball to Hard Time and Back

The 1980s saw official crime policy in the United States shifting its focus from crime and criminals to victimization and victims. In this thought-provoking book, Robert Elias evaluates the effectiveness of this shift in policy and argues that victims have been politically manipulated for official objectives. From a thorough examination of victim legislation, get-tough crime policies, media crime coverage, the victim movement, and the wars on crime and drugs, Elias concludes that little victim support has actually occurred and that victimization is, in fact, escalating. He argues for a chan

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- I. INTRODUCTION -- Notes -- II. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF VICTIM COMPENSATION -- Historical Development -- Early Law -- Alternatives to Victim Compensation -- Victim Compensation and Its Critics -- The Case for Victim Compensation -- Strict Liability Theory -- Government Negligence Theory -- Equal Protection Theory -- Humanitarian Theory -- Social Obligation Theory -- Social Welfare Theory -- Crime Prevention Theory -- Political Motives Theory -- Victim Compensation Programs -- Foreign Plans -- American Plans -- Political Context of Victim Compensation -- The Administration of Victim Compensation -- Eligibility for Victim Compensation -- Evaluating Victim Compensation Programs -- Conclusion -- Notes -- III. RESEARCH DESIGN -- Research Questions and Hypotheses -- Restoration -- Crime Prevention -- Social Stability -- Data Collection -- Sources of Data -- Sampling Crime Victims -- Brooklyn Claimants -- Newark Claimants -- Brooklyn Non-Claimants -- Newark Non-Claimants -- Interview Procedure -- Questionnaires -- Nature of Victim Survey -- Notes -- IV. CHARACTERISTICS OF VIOLENT CRIME VICTIMS -- General Victim Attributes -- Socioeconomic Status -- Community Ties -- Victim Attitudes about Politics and Government -- Victim Attitudes Toward Criminal Justice -- Conclusion -- Notes -- V. VICTIMS IN THE CRIMINAL PROCESS -- Criminal Victimization -- Kinds of Crimes -- Victim-Offender Relationship -- Assailant Characteristics -- Victim Motivations -- Reporting the Crime -- Pressing Charges -- Victim Experiences in the Criminal Process -- Prior Court Involvement -- Criminal Threats -- Complaint Room -- Arraignment -- Bail -- Post-Arraignment -- Court Appearance -- Court Problems -- Court Involvement -- Other Post-Victimization Contacts