The impact of crime on victims is immediate, ongoing, and complex. Almost all victims suffer some level of psychological damage. In some cases, the trauma can be profound.
Many victims also suffer financial losses, including time lost from work as a result of the crime.
Some victims suffer physical injury during the crime. For most victims, the crime makes the world seem more hostile and insecure. Fear can make them more suspicious of others, more wary of public spaces, and more reluctant to engage in activities that connect them with their neighbors. The best thing we can do for victims of crime is to keep them from becoming victims in the first place. But when a crime occurs, our Strategy seeks to restore victims as much as possible, to treat them with dignity, and to minimize the chances that they will be victims again.