ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the history of victims' assistance programs in the United States and explores how victims' assistance programs have been utilized. It describes common types of victims' assistance programs and reasons victims' assistance programs have been underutilized. Perhaps the most common and most utilized types of victims' assistance programs are those for victims of domestic violence. Another common type of victims' assistance comes in the form of programs and resources for victims of sexual assault. While some reforms have been made to victims' assistance programs over the past decades, there are still some crucial changes that need to be made to these programs in general, and to programs dealing with specific victims' needs. The chapter also illustrates how victims' assistance programs have adapted and changed and what future improvements could be made to victims' assistance programs to make them more effective.
