New Booklet for Crime Victims

Help for Homicide Survivors, a new 10-page booklet, is now available to Nova Scotians who have lost a family member or friend through violence.

Published by the policing and victim services division of the Department of Justice, the booklet offers advice about feelings and concerns common to homicide survivors as they participate in the criminal justice system.

"Our victim services staff do an exceptional job working with people through very difficult circumstances," said Justice Minister Michael Baker. "We hope this new booklet, along with other resources listed in the publication, will offer comfort and support to families who need it most."

"The natural process of mourning may be complicated by the extra issues that survivors have to deal with," said Joanne Marriott- Thorne, director of programs, policing and victim services. "Family members may benefit from knowing what others have experienced, and what to expect in the process."

Generally, the homicide rate in Canada has been declining since the mid-1970s. However, the number of homicides rose last year in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, there were 582 homicides in 2002, 29 more than the previous year. The national rate of 1.9 homicides per 100,000 population went up by four per cent in 2002 after remaining stable the previous two years. Manitoba (3.1) and British Columbia (3.0) reported the highest provincial rates. Nova Scotia and the other Atlantic provinces had the lowest homicide rates.

The Help for Homicide Survivors booklet is available in courthouses throughout Nova Scotia and in Victim Services' regional offices in Dartmouth, New Glasgow, Sydney and Kentville. It will also soon be available via the Department of Justice Web site at <a href="http://www.gov.ns.ca/just">www.gov.ns.ca/just<a/> .