Annmarie Griffin
Pod 4 Assignment
Victim’s Role in the Criminal Justice
Process
Victims should be listened to with
compassion and the criminal justice representatives need to be empathetic. They need to let them know you can identify
the feelings in what they are saying and reflect back on what they are saying
so that they know you are listening and taking them seriously. You are to ask open-ended questions so that
the victim is able to respond in their own words. Many crimes go unreported because victims do
not want to be re-victimized in the criminal justice process. Victims need to feel that they will be
protected from any further harm or embarrassment while participating in the
prosecution of the case. Police are the
first responders to these crimes. They need
to be trained to be able to handle the reporting of these crimes with
care. They cannot badger the victim by
interrogating about the crime with a sense of disbelief. They need to listen and ask questions without
making the victim feel as if they did something wrong. Police interaction with victims plays an
important role in enabling public opinion on reporting crimes. Negative interactions can lead to more crimes
going un-reported and allowing perpetrators of such crimes to walk free with a
sense of arrogance that leads to further injuries to others. Departments need to better train officers to
be sensitive to the victims plight. They
need to be able to direct the victim to the proper agencies for follow-up care
and provide detailed information on the case so that the victim knows that
their case is being handled seriously.
Victims need to feel empowered in the
criminal justice process (National Victim Assistance Academy, 2005). They should be included in the decisions of
the case from the reporting of the incident on.
They should be able to see that they are playing an active role in the punishment
phase (Karmen, 2010). They should be
able to use their stories as a way to “force change in the criminal justice system
by compelling lawbreakers to undergo rehabilitation treatment (Karmen, 2010)”. They should also be entitled to restitution from
criminals.
The process for allowing victims to
retrieve their possessions used as evidence in a case needs to be changed. It should not take forever for a victim to be
made whole again. They should not have
to chase down their belongings after a case is processed and closed. Communication between officials and victims
needs to be handled better. The victim’s
role in the criminal justice process should not make them feel frustrated or
even worse than they did after the initial crime process. The lines of communication between officials
and victims needs to be changed so that the victims are involved in the
decision making process of the case.
This will allow a sense of closure for the victim and allow them to
fully heal. They must be able to use
their voice and have a say in what they think would be fair and just punishment
as a victim of crime.
References
Karmen, A. (2010). Crime Victims: An Introduction to
Victimology. Belmont: Wadsworth.
National Victim Assistance Academy: Listen to My Story:
Communicating With Victims of Crime (2005). Department of Justice Office of
Justice Programs. Office for Victims of Crime. National Victim Assistance
Academy. Listen to My Story: Communicating With Victims of Crime. NCJ 195655 -
August 2005.
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