Research Interests:
Personal social services, social policy and services designed for victims of crime and terrorism, restorative justice programs, family group conferencing, ‘victim impact statement', the empowerment of individuals and groups through conferencing and mediation programs.
Research Projects:
The principles and changes in the policy and programs designed for victims of hostile (terrorist) acts in Israel. Funding: The National Insurance Institute.
Caring for crime victims by the Local Welfare Bureaus in Israel. Funding: The National Insurance Institute.
Restorative Justice and Victim offender mediation programs study. Funding: The HarveyL.SilbertCenterforIsraelStudies.
The personal expenses of people who were criminally victimized. A grant by The Ministry of Justice, The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Crime Victims.
Worries of parents to school children, A research study. Funding: The HebrewUniversityof Jerusalem.
The introduction of the "victim impact statement" in Israeli Courts of Law. Funding: The Israeli Association of Criminology and the MinervaCenterfor Human Rights.
Abstracts of Current Research :
Victims of terrorism: This research examines the personal social services and the social assistance programs designed to help individuals and families who lost their dear ones in a hostile (terrorist) act. The research focuses on the definition, nature and size of the target population, the different entitlements offered to victims, survivors and their dependents. It focuses on state and voluntary services that help civilians have suffered physical and mental injuries, loss of income or damage to their property as a result of an act of terrorism. The study includes an evaluation of these programs from the victims' perspective.
Local welfare bureausserving crime victims: The policy and administration of personal social services –:Israeldoes not yet have a program designed to assist crime victims. When in need, police and other agencies tend to refer crime victims to the local welfare bureaus. The study examines how local welfare bureaus meet crime victims, including victims of serious crimes and provide them with the necessary personal social services. Service provision to this group is associated with considerable discretion. No legal "right" to such victims exists and no entitlements are formally ascribes. The study examines differences between local authorities in the provision and funding of personal social services to people who were criminally victimized.
Restorative Justice – Victim offender conferencing program adopted by the youth probation services. This study examines the Israeli experience in applying restorative justice principles in the youth probation services. What began as an experiment in one town became a state wide project, applying various types of conferencing to engage crime victims and offenders in a dialogue, aimed at applying ‘re-integrative shaming’ principles, reducing re-offending by the perpetrators and empowering crime victims. Unique evidence emerges from multi-cultural conferencing experience where victims and offenders, coming from different communities in Israel, engage in a joint process, led by the probation services.
The personal expenses of people who were criminally victimized. People who were criminally victimized, face themselves, and their families, a significant reduction in their earnings and a loss of income. Furthermore, because of the different traumas involved, crime victims have to pay, themselves, for the different medical, mental and rehabilitation services that they need. The study includes families who lost a member in a man-slaughter case, women who suffered violence and fled to a refuge themselves, sometime with their children, and others who were criminally victimized. The study focuses on the direct and indirect (short and long-term) costs that these victims faced.
Recent Publications:
Yanay, U. (2001). 'Support and Compensation Provided to Victims of Violent Crimes in Isael' in Kop, J. (Ed). Allocating Resources to Social Services - 2000, Jerusalem, The Center for Social Policy Research in Israel(pp. 227-250).
Yanay, U., Sharvit R. and Grabli, S. (2001). Victim-offender conferencing: A way to reconciliation and reducing crime in the community. Society and Welfare 21 (1) 27 – 50.
Yanay, U. (2002). Police Assisting Crime Victims: Caring for Victim Compensation. Police and Society. 6: 73 – 98.
Yanay, U.(2002) Victims of Criminal Injuries: Principles of Assistance in Canada. Social Security. 62: 142 – 168.
Yanay, U. (2003). The introduction of the "victim impact statement" in the Israeli courts of law, In Hovav, M., Sebba, L. & Amir, M., )ed.) Trends in Criminology, Jerusalem, The HebrewUniversityof Jerusalem, Faculty of Law. The Sacher Institute for Legislative Research and Comparative Law. Pp. 235-274.
Yanay, U. (2004). A tough life for victims: Crime victims and the Israeli justice system. Social Security, Special English Edition, 7 pp. 115-138.
Yanay, U. (2004). Victim of Violent crimes in Germany: Legal, Support and Compensation Rights. Social Security 65: 84 – 110.
Yanay, U. Bar-David, E. and K. Shayit (2004). Perception of personal safety in Jerusalemneighbourhoods. Society and Welfare. 24 (2) 201 – 218.*
Yanay, U. & Benjamin, S. (2005). The role of social workers in disasters: The Jerusalem experience. International Social Work. 48 (3) 263 – 276.
Yanay, U. (2005). Crime victims in Israel: Personal expenditures caused by the offence. Social Security 68, 25-50.*
Yanay, U. (2005). Women refuges in Israel: From voluntary initiative to government partnership. Social Security, 70 77-109*
Yanay, U. (2006) Personal security and the ‘Right’ to protection. Social Policy and Administration 40 (5) 509-525.
Chapters in Books
Yanay, U. & Grabli, S. (2008). "Probation Officers Considerations in Referring Youth to Victim Offender Conferencing" In Hovav M., Mell, H., & Golan M. (eds.) From Risk to Hope: Interventions with Juvenile Delinquents and Youth at Risk. Tel Aviv, CarmelPublishers (In Hebrew).
Yanay, U (2008). "Introduction" In Sundaram, M. S., Jaishankar P. K..& S. Ramdoss(Eds.), Crime Victims and Justice: An Introduction to Restorative Principles. New Delhi: Serial Publications.
Yanay, U. & Gal, T (in press). "Lobbying for Rights: Crime Victims in Israel" In Shoham, S. G. & Knepper, P. (Eds) International Handbook of Victimology. London, Taylorand Francis.
Chapters in Journals
Yanay, U. (2007). Victim of hostile (terrorist) acts in Israel: The challenge of providing comprehensive assistance and care. Social Security 73, 11-39 (In Hebrew)
Yanay, U. (2007). Crime victims: care provided by municipal welfare offices. Society and Welfare 27 (2) 255-314 (In Hebrew)
Yanay, U. and Benbenishti R. (2008). Worries of parents' to school children in Israel. Families in Society. 89 (1) 150 – 158.
Monographs
Yanay, U., Braun, F., and Kosher, H. (2007). The Personal Social Services – An International Perspective: International Comparison of Policy and Services to Children at Risk, Handicap and the Elderly in France, The United Kingdom, theNetherlands, Canada, Denmarkand New Zealand. Jerusalem, The HebrewUniversityof Jerusalem, ThePaulBaerwaldSchoolof Social Work and Social Welfare. The Social Policy Research Group (In Hebrew).
Yanay, U., Grabli S. (2008). Victim Offender Conferencing: Evaluating the Process and its Outcomes in the Youth Probation Services. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare and The State of Israel and The Ministry of Welfare and Social Services, The Youth Probation Services (In Hebrew).
Yanay, U. and Benbenishti R. (in press) Worries of parents' to school children in Israel. Families in Society.
Yanay, U. (in press) Caring for victims of violent crimes: Issues of assistance and compensation in Canada,International Journal of Canadian Studies.
Yanay, U. (in press) Victim of hostile (terrorist) Acts in Israel: the challenge of providing comprehensive assistance and care. Social Security
Uri Yanay's site at the Research and Development Authority