The research used a literature review, an effort to locate Federally funded programs delivering services to the victims of the four types of crime, and record reviews and interviews with the staff of particular programs. Questions focused on service components and delivery, program administration, funding, the factors influencing the choice of particular service models, and changes in the organizational structure over time. Most of the interviews took place in the 1980-1982 period. The analysis considers the role of issue definitions in the development and implementation of victims' policies, the effects of increases and subsequent reductions of Federal funding in these victims' issues, and major implementation issues common to the programs for different types of victims. The authors conclude that the evolution of victims' services demonstrates many of the distinctive characteristics of American social policy: policy fragmentation; the difficulty of exerting a strong national presence; the sharing of responsibility among different levels of government; and the preference for financially weak, nonprofit organizations funded by government to deliver services. Chapter notes, index, and 121 references.