When a person is accused of a crime, the criminal justice system will often focus on investigating the allegations, pursuing criminal charges, and implementing punishments following a conviction. During a case, the prosecution will attempt to demonstrate the person's guilt, while the defendant will work to prove their innocence or provide information about mitigating circumstances. In the midst of the legal proceedings, the victim or victims of the alleged offense are often overlooked. However, they can often provide important information about a case, and their rights should be respected in matters related to prosecution, sentencing, and post-conviction appeals or requests for relief.
Increased Focus on Crime Victims' Needs and Desires
Due to a number of recent high-profile cases in which victims have spoken out against people who have allegedly committed acts of violence, sexual assault, or abuse, there has been an increased focus on how victims are affected by these issues and how they are treated in criminal cases. In a recent book, Judith Herman, a pioneering psychological researcher who has brought attention to the trauma experienced by victims of crimes such as sexual abuse, looked at the issues that many victims face as they deal with the aftermath of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and other similar traumatic situations.
Ms. Herman's interviews with victims reveal that they often feel that the criminal justice system has failed them. Traditional methods of "retributive justice," which focus on punishing offenders for crimes, often do not take the desires of victims into account. In many cases, victims are not interested in seeking vengeance against perpetrators, and they are more concerned with addressing the structural issues that allowed a crime to happen in the first place.
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