A Voice For Victims Of Crime

The criminal justice system relies on the victims for the detection, reporting and prosecution of crime. The victim is a useful source of first-hand evidence during trial. Upon conviction, the role of the victim comes to an unfair ending since no one bothers about his or her welfare after leaving the court room. Most victims of crime are forced to live with the consequences of crime for the rest of their lives yet the very people who perpetrated the offence are being taken care of by the state. The irony is that while no one bothers about the welfare of the victim after the accused has been sentenced, the state is busy investing millions of tax payer¿s money to secure the welfare of prisoners. It is upon this backdrop that I would seek to propose the establishment, and assess the viability, of a Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund in Kenya.