Abstract

This chapter examines the role of voluntary sector agencies which deliver services to victims of crime and campaign for their rights, in the UK and elsewhere. The relationships between different voluntary agencies are considered, along with their interactions with central government and with local state agencies. In some ways, the UK voluntary victim service sector is distinctive, and this is illustrated by comparison with similar provision elsewhere. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some possibilities for the future: the voluntary sector has increased its influence enormously over the past 35 years, gaining a central role in policy-making in the UK and in some other countries: can this continue?