Protection of a victim of a criminal offence

This diploma thesis deals with the issue of protection of victims of crime. In the first chapter, by using the findings from the field of victimology, it describes victim as a phenomenon and also the process of victimisation while focusing on its causes and the negative impact it may have on victims. The author also summarizes the recent findings regarding the victims' needs. Lastly, some of the most common misconceptions about victims and their impact on the perception of victims are explained. The second chapter addresses the victim from the viewpoint of the law. Firstly, it examines the role which the EU plays in enhancing the standing of victims in the criminal procedure and also outside of it. Secondly, it examines the Act on victims of crime adopted in the Czech Republic. The Act on victims of crime and the particular rights of victims which are provided for in the Act are analysed in the second chapter with the use of the current findings in the field of victimology. The author also explains the main critiques of the Act such as the counter-productive wording of the right to receive information or a threat of corroding the criminal procedure as a whole. On the other hand, the benefits of the Act are also pointed out, such as reducing the threat of a secondary victimisation of victims, which..