Victim’s assistance and protection put to the test by the legal professionals: an empirical analysis and prospects for effectiveness

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a quantitative survey conducted via a questionnaire distributed to lawyers, with the aim of identifying their knowledge, skills, practices and training needs regarding legal assistance for victims. The paper consists of a section outlining the questions and the responses received, accompanied by a brief legal and statistical overview, before focusing on certain issues where the questionnaire revealed a need for more detailed consideration: the victim’s right to information, state-funded compensation and restorative justice appear to be three areas where current practice is not aligned with regulatory guidelines or, so far, is little known and rarely applied by the professionals assisting victims through legal proceedings.