NCJ Number
112955
Journal
Wayne Law Review Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1987) Pages: 7-28
Date Published
1987
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article discusses crime-related psychological trauma, theoretical perspectives on how victimization produces or mediates psychological trauma, and perspectives on the role of the criminal justice system on victim trauma.
Abstract
Research currently suggests that victims feel neglected and, in some cases, victimized by the criminal justice process. Moreover, data indicate that victims' expectations of mistreatment by the criminal justice system inhibit their reporting of crime. Legislation that provides crime victims with the opportunity for greater participation in the justice process could positively affect the psychological functioning of crime victims and perhaps increase the public's confidence in the criminal justice system. Legislators should ensure, however, that there are functional avenues of redress should victims' mandated rights be denied. Since the literature examining the relationship between victim psychological adjustment and participation in the criminal justice system is sparse, this article offers recommendations for future research. 90 footnotes.