Victims' Rights in the Criminal Justice System
On Friday, we heard Michelle Knight speak in court at her perpetrator’s sentencing. This young woman is courageous, strong, and compassionate. The bravery that it takes to face a perpetrator in court is remarkable. I am grateful that our country believes in the impact of allowing victims to provide input to the court system. Providing input can help a victim’s recovery in many ways, including giving her/him a sense of power, having her/his voice heard and having an opportunity to face her/his attacker. The victim/survivor did not have power in the moments that the crime was being committed; therefore, regaining that power may be a constructive part of the healing process. The rights of crime victims and survivors have not existed for that long . In fact, the crime victims’ movement in the United States started in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The crime victims’ movement was an outgrowth of the fields of victimology, the women’s movement, st...