Transitioning Times

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...

  Anyone who has had contact with the criminal justice system knows that offenders have many rights during the process.  They can determine the direction, speed and duration of interaction with the system more than the victim who suffered through the crime.  This, of course, was intended to protect wrongly accused people and to ensure that each person accused of a crime receives fair treatment.  However, this often contributes to victims feeling silenced or censored during the process.  Victims' rights groups have advocated for victims and their families to be able to participate in the justice system, and we have certainly come a long way.  However, as more decisions are being challenged, we have to ask--when is an offender's right to presumption of innocence more important than a victim and community's right to justice?   A case is currently in front of the Supreme Court to determine whether it is constitutional to use an offender's DNA...