ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the period from 1976 to 1982 when a center-right coalition took office after 44 years of continuous social democratic dominance. Crime policy also started to shift away from welfarist ideals. In 1978, the center-right government proposed the first significant reform for crime victims – the 1978 Criminal Injuries Compensation Act. In the same year, the first women’s shelters opened and put victimization on the political agenda. Soon, other organizations started claiming a broader victim definition. In the early 1980s, the first generic victim support centers were established. We will show that the motivation behind the first victim support center, as well as for the introduction of criminal injuries compensation, was to create legitimacy for a rehabilitative correctional system. The first centers also had problems building interest in their services, and very few victims visited the centers.
