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APPENDIX 1: METHODOLOGY
The methodology for the study involved two components: an overview of the literature relating to the experiences and perceptions of victims and witnesses in a range of relevant jurisdictions and a review of service provision in Scotland.
PURPOSE AND DETAILED OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
The purposes of the research, as specified by the Scottish Executive were to
- document current levels and types of service provision in Scotland for victims and witnesses;
- identify service provision gaps in Scotland;
- explore the Scottish, UK and international literature and research on the experience and perception of victims and witnesses;
- make recommendations on what works for victims and witnesses; and
- identify gaps in the research on victims' and witnesses' experiences and perceptions.
The literature strand
It was identified that the topics covered by the overview of the literature should include
- victims' and witnesses' perceptions and experiences of the criminal justice system;
- the concerns of victims and witnesses over issues such as giving evidence, sentencing, protection and so on;
- what steps have been taken to involve victims in the criminal justice system, and with what results;
- relationship between victim satisfaction and/or victim participation in the criminal justice system;
- the personal impact of being a victim or witness;
- the needs of victims and witnesses, including families of victims of murder and culpable homicide;
- victims' and witnesses' perceptions and experience of service and information provision;
- review of relevant opinion and attitude surveys of victims and witnesses;
- particular attention should be given to those who experience repeat victimisation;
- explore what works for victims and witnesses, in relation to both service provision and the criminal justice system;
- identify key themes and/or areas of concern;
- identifying gaps in the literature on the experiences and perceptions of victims and witnesses; and
- identify gaps in research on the experiences and perceptions of victims and witnesses.
The review of services
It was identified that the review of Scottish service provision for victims and witnesses should
- identify current service providers catering to the needs of victims and witnesses, including families of victims of murder and culpable homicide, in Scotland. This should include those provided by public, voluntary and private bodies;
- identify types and level of service provision from different service providers;
- assess the uptake and demand for different services by victims and witnesses;
- assess what proportion of the client group seen by different service providers are victims and witnesses;
- explore the geographical spread of service providers and service coverage across Scotland; and
- identify geographical and service provision gaps in Scotland for victims and witnesses.
Other objectives
It was also identified that the research should
- compare the findings from the literature review and review of services; and
- make recommendations based on the findings of the literature review and review of services.
METHODOLOGY
The literature strand
The identification of literature for the overview consisted of four main methods
- a search of journal articles through the British Library's 'Inside' service;
- an internet search, with relevant documents being either downloaded or purchased;
- a search of books and other publications through the National Library of Scotland; and
- requests to core service providers, as well as the Scottish Executive, for any relevant material.
This process generated a considerable amount of relevant material. A reading framework for the literature review strand was prepared. It had been intended that the literature review would follow on from the review of services. It was decided, as a consequence of the volume of material obtained, that this should, in effect run in parallel. A very large number of books and articles were read and summarised. Priority was given to literature focusing on victims' and witnesses' experiences, but this was supplemented with other material. The overview produced a vast amount of material across a range of issues relevant to victims and witnesses.
The review of services
In order to develop the review of services, an overview of the likely needs of victims and witnesses was developed, together with an summary of the range of services which may be involved in meeting these needs. This helped to identify all of the organisations potentially involved in providing services. Four 'typical' victim profiles were developed, to reflect a range of possible scenarios. Information on potential needs was gathered relating to the immediate aftermath of the crime, the court process and the period following sentence. All of these, taken together, helped to identify the potential range of provision and the identification of broad categories of service provider. This became, in effect, the basic mailing list for a survey.
Identifying service providers
Those providing 'core' services were relatively straightforward to identify from existing sources. However, voluntary organisations providing support in some form were more difficult to identify. Additional sampling methods were used, including:
- A search of internet sources, including telephone and other directories. This process, together with the initial 'core' service providers, identified more than 600 individual services.
- Agencies contacted initially were asked to identify any other organisations providing services to victims and witnesses. This approach generated approximately 50 additional services and the addition of a further category.
The 'final' mailing list consisted of around 800 organisations. An opportunity was offered to indicate where respondents did not provide services to victims and witnesses, and a small number (largely housing associations), indicated this. A questionnaire was sent to all remaining organisations and partnerships, leaving the decision on the relevance of their service to the organisation itself. This inevitably had an impact on the final response rate.
Content of the survey questionnaire
The content of the questionnaire was based on the initial work set out above, and a further assessment of documents obtained from core service providers. The following information was gathered through the questionnaire
- basic information about name, affiliation, location, purpose, and legal status of the organisation;
- the geographical coverage of the service;
- the nature of those eligible to receive the service;
- service use information, by type of service and category of service user;
- any limitations to the service (e.g. in terms of eligibility, referral routes, time for which support can be provided, geographical coverage) ;
- the nature of services provided to, for example, equalities groups, such as members of minority ethnic communities;
- main means of referral;
- any onward referral;
- detailed service provision in the following areas: information, practical help, emotional and psychological support, referral to other services and other forms of support;
- any waiting lists, or constraints to the service;
- any services which cannot be provided, but which are seen to be required;
- whether feedback / evaluation is undertaken; and
- the extent and nature of any gaps in services about which the respondent is aware.
The questionnaire was contained to 6 pages, and incorporated a high number of tick box questions in order to maximise the response rate.
The response
184 completed responses were received. About 20 further services also indicated that, while providing services to victims and witnesses, they were unable to sufficiently differentiate these to allow the questionnaire to be completed. This is a return rate of about 23%. This is considered excellent given the fact that many organisations were provided with the opportunity to respond, even though it was considered unlikely that they would view their services as being directly relevant to victims and witnesses.
Respondents included a wide range of service providers, with no obvious gaps (although some of the categories involved small numbers). The survey was completed by a good spread of organisations from different sectors. A total of 52 respondents described themselves as local organisations which are part of a national or larger regional organisation.
21 organisations reported that they operated across Scotland. One organisation reported working in 26 of Scotland's 32 local authorities and the remaining organisations were described as local. Of these, most operate within a single local authority, generally across the whole of that authority. There were also examples of projects operating in, for example, single towns or single housing estates.
Crimes of violence represented the most common form of crime reported to service providers. This was due, in part, to the larger number of support services dealing with crimes of violence, or offending where violence may play a part. The next most common group of 'crimes' was, broadly, anti-social behaviour (recognising that by no means all anti-social behaviour is criminal). This is again due in part to the number of agencies emerging to address this issue.
Collection of additional information
Alongside the literature review and postal survey, three other research strands were undertaken as a small part of the review of services.
Mystery shopping
As part of the research, a mystery shopping exercise was undertaken, covering more than 80 locations in Dunfermline. (Dunfermline, with about 50,000 residents, is very typical of Scottish towns.) Among the locations surveyed were
- local authority offices, including local offices, social work offices and the main council building in the town centre;
- police stations;
- the Sheriff Court;
- solicitors offices;
- Lauder College;
- bus and rail stations;
- Job Centre Plus;
- Queen Margaret Hospital and a range of surgeries;
- leisure centres;
- shopping centres and bookshops;
- museums and visitor attractions;
- churches and the Salvation Army;
- the CAB office ( CARF);
- commercial and community cafes;
- pharmacies;
- banks; and
- public toilets.
In each case, any information of relevance to victims and witnesses on display was identified, collected and noted.
Internet and self-help search
A review was carried out of the information available of a wide range of Scottish-based websites carrying information relevant to victims and witnesses. The search phrase 'victim crime Scotland' was used in both Google and MSN (by far the two most popular search engines). Each of the main service providers' sites, together with a sample of local authority and NHS sites, were also examined.
A major bookshop (Ottakers) was also visited with the co-operation of the local manager, in order to identify the nature of self-help materials which might be available.
Face to face and telephone interviews
A number of key organisations (identified by the Advisory Group) were approached with a view to undertaking a face to face or telephone interview. A small number of organisations declined to take part in this way, and a total of 10 additional interviews were completed by this means, with representatives of the following
- ASSIST;
- Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland;
- Association of Directors of Social Work;
- Crown Office and Victim Information and Advice;
- Safeguarding Communities, Reducing Offending ( SACRO);
- Rape Crisis Scotland;
- Scottish Court Service;
- Scottish Children's Reporter Administration;
- Scottish Women's Aid;
- Victims and Witnesses Unit; and
- Victim Support Scotland (and the Witness Service).
These interviews explored some of the emergent issues from the literature review and postal survey in more detail.
All of these additional methods were seen to supplement and validate the information which was gathered from other sources.
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