EXPLORING THE PROBATION OFFICER’S ROLE IN VICTIM SUPPORT AND EMPOWERMENT1

In the past, victims of crime have profoundly been neglected. Not only were they to a large extent excluded from criminal justice procedure, but assistance and support services and programmes were scarce. The plight of victims to be recognised in the administration of justice resulted in the establishment of various support and empowerment programmes and initiatives. Some of these programmes and services are rooted in the philosophy of restorative justice and realise practically through, amongst others, victim-offender mediation. This article aims to briefly highlight the need for victim support services, conceptualise these services within the paradigm of restorative justice, and more specifically explores the probation officer’s role in the rendering thereof. In this endeavour, findings of a recently finalised study regarding the training needs of probation officers in the Free State serve to substantiate the conclusions arrived at