On Tuesday we discussed the role of victims in the Criminal Justice System. They seem to be the forgotten link. The role of the victim has been limited to calling the police, collaborating with the police investigation when asked and acting as as witness in the court case. Victims of crime are sometimes referred to as orphans of the CJS and even as the orpahns of social policy. However how much power should we give victims? Should they have a say in the sentencing of offenders. If so, would not all victims want to meet out justice by sentencing their offenders to lengthy jail terms. Is that best for society. Complex issues require great balance and thought.
I gave the students a survey to see which students had been victims of some kind of criminal act in the last year. I want to thank the students who shared their stories about how they have been affected by criminal acts in the past.
Then we discussed what the needs of a victim are:
I will post these notes later tomorrow.
Finally we looked at avoidance behaviors....which led to a discussion on gun control for self defence. It was a lively debate and I think the consensus was that most students do not want guns to be used as a way of defending our homes and our families.
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