NCJ Number
158914
Date Published
1982
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video presents three segments that address the psychological effects of criminal victimization and how they may be relieved through various support services, including the Victim/Offender Reconciliation Program.
Abstract
The video's format consists of various dramatized still shots that illustrate the narrative. The first segment, entitled, "Crime: The Broken Community," focuses upon the reactive feelings of a burglary victim, notably fear, anger, and anxiety. These feelings are compounded when the criminal justice system becomes involved and then excludes the victim from any meaningful participation in case processing. The offender is also trapped in an impersonal process bent more on punishment than rehabilitative accountability. Suggestions for improving the system are to meet the needs of both victims and offenders, to personalize the process of addressing crime, to involve both victims and offenders in the outcome, and to reduce reliance on prisons. The second segment, entitled, "Crime: Mediating the Conflict," uses a burglary victim's and offenders' experiences to illustrate how offenders and victims can find their needs being met through the Victim/Offender Reconciliation Program. This involves both victims and offenders in the construction of a mutually agreed upon response to the harm that has occurred. The concluding section, entitled, "The Forgotten Neighbor," uses the fictitious story of a man bound with rope and threatened with a knife in a robbery to examine the psychological effects of such victimization; the importance of caring friends who provide support in such a time is emphasized.