한국의 범죄피해자 보호ㆍ지원의 동향과 발전방향

Trend and Development Directions of Crime Victim Support Policy in Korea

In the Republic of Korea, a crime victim support system has been established and operated by the Ministry of Justice and the Public Prosecutor´s Office taking the initiative with the private sector since 2003. The system mainly consists of the Crime Victim Aid Money(CVAM) from the Government, and a variety of support by the Crime Victim Support Center(CVSC)-a private organization-as well as the criminal mediation program. The CVAM could not be effectively revitalized for about 20 years in spite of the constitutional provision until April, 2009, when the amount of Aid Money was astonishingly raised with widened scope of beneficiaries. The crime victim support in the private sector is operated by 57 CVSCs, and each center is closely connected with district public prosecutor´s offices. The CVSCs provide financial and medical support, and also perform a variety of works such as protection or crisis intervention. The CVSCs also perform the criminal mediation program. The present criminal mediation achieves amazing results quantitatively, and empirical research also shows that the program highly satisfies victims and offenders'. Despite its short history, crime victim support system in Korea has achieved an excellent outcome. Forward, the Korean Government wil l improve the system by making up for remaining defects, and especially for sufficient funds, review an introduction plan for establishment of a crime victim fund.