Enhancing and Professionalizing the Victim Services Field Should Be a National Priority

The professionalization of victim services needs to be a national priority. This includes standardizing ethical principles, developing organizations that unite professionals (e.g., national societies or associations), generating scientific knowledge about the profession, and developing a system that offers employment and promotion access. In short, investing in ways to professionalize the victim services field would benefit victim-survivors by increasing the number of providers available to help, enhancing nationwide dedication to serving victim-survivors of crime, and ultimately increasing the number and improving the quality of services offered.