During the colonial and revolutionary periods, the United States criminal justice system was victim-centric, in that crimes were often investigated and prosecuted by individual victims.
In Linda R.S., the court ruled that the complainant did not have the legal standing to keep the prosecutors' office from discriminately applying a statute criminalizing non-payment of child support.
In dicta, the court articulated the then-prevailing view that a private crime victims have no jurisdiction in deciding the process of a criminal prosecution.
Supporters of the law and order, civil rights, and feminist movement challenged conventional views of the criminal justice system on the role of the victim.
[26][24][25][27] Feminists in the women's movement had a particular impact on how law reform was shaped regarding the treatment of victims and survivors of sexual violence in the criminal justice system.
[28][29] The Canadian Government began to discuss victims of crime more seriously with the abolishment of the death penalty and the introduction of the Peace and Security Package in 1976.
[31][24][30] Together in the same year, the Canadian Statement of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime was released and supported by federal, provincial and territorial governments.
The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime on the other hand released a progress report in 2020 that raised multiple concerns including that these rights are legally unenforceable.
The Canadian Statement was recognized by federal, provincial and territorial government officials responsible for criminal justice matters and many of the principles used in it were based on those in the UN Declaration.
[44] The Directive requires that victims are recognised and treated with respect and dignity, are protected from further victimisation from the offender or within criminal proceedings, and receive appropriate support and have access to compensation.
Croatia, in order to fulfil prerequisites for joining the EU, initiated changes in their criminal justice system in relation to the rights of victims.
[56] In 2015, Croatia's parliament adopted laws awarding victims of rape committed during the 1991–1995 Independence War compensation as well as free access to therapeutic, medical, and legal services.
In order to file a complaint for a hate crime, the current law requires the payment of a fee, dissuading victims from reporting offences.
Greece has also been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights 11 times for the misuse of weapons by police and the subsequent absence of effective investigations, with migrants or members of minority groups being victims in ten of these incidents.
According to Human Rights Watch, police in Hungary had often dismissed the injuries of victims of serious domestic violence, at times refusing to bring abusers to prosecution.
[85] In the ECtHR case Kalucza v. Hungary 2012, the applicant complained that Hungarian authorities had failed to protect her abuse from her husband in her home.
[86] Legislative changes made in 2013 imposed harsher penalties upon perpetrators of domestic violence and placed the onus upon the prosecution, and not the victim, to pursue legal action.
Some of the most prevalent challenges faced by children in Italy include child labor, forced participation in organized crime and also becoming refugees after fleeing their own nation.
[94] Victims of crime in Latvia have access to legal aid, but they must pay the costs up front, with reimbursement being provided by the offender.
[93] Human rights' activists have argued that the Polish criminal justice system fails to effectively assist victims of domestic violence and does not take their cases seriously.
Many perpetrators of domestic violence in Poland only receive suspended sentences, with their female partners often being financially dependent on them and having to continue living with them.
Victims are now entitled to certain costs of healthcare services, medical products, secondary or vocational education, temporary accommodation, among other facilities.
[116] Slovakia is a nation where various targeted groups, particularly young women and men, the disabled, the uneducated and the unemployed, are susceptible to fabricated international job prospects which are in actuality human trafficking schemes.
[117] Many Slovakian's end up being transported to highly active trafficking countries such as, Germany, Austria, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland and Poland.
In certain criminal offences, such as sexual abuse, child neglect, and human trafficking, the injured party is required to have a specific authority to look after their rights, and certain stipulations apply to the investigation procedures, such as preventing the offender from being in the courtroom at the same time as the victim during proceedings.
[120] In exceptional circumstances, a victim may claim emergency compensation before the conclusion of the trial, owing to their financial situation, at the discretion of a relevant authority.
[125] Swedish multiplicities are obliged to offer mediation, based on restorative justice principles, to offenders under 21 years old, with the aim of reducing cases of recidivism.
According to Article 1 of the Act, "victim" in UK law means "a person who has suffered harm as a direct result of being subjected to criminal conduct".
[136] In connection with the last of these criticisms, it has been noted that victims seeking "closure" may promote outcomes as diverse as retribution, on one hand, and forgiveness on the other, and the legal system is inadequate to providing therapeutic satisfaction in either case.
Proponents also cite the criminal courts' well-established capacity to afford rights to participants other than the defendants (such as the media), suggesting that accommodation of victims' interests is both possible and desirable.