A great opinion piece. It essentially highlights what I blogged about in my previous blog post where corrections officers in prisons are also silently suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Since, I put most of what I think about this issue, in that blog post, I won't repeat myself, here. But, this opinion piece comes back to the same point that victims of violent crimes also want the same changes in the prison system, as the corrections officers; rehabilitation of prisoners instead of packing them in prisons like sardines. Building more prisons won't solve the crime. Locking a first-time offender with a hardened criminal only increases the chances that that first-time offender is only going to become a hardened criminal him/herself.
So, governments should be using the tax dollars in building more rehab centers for criminals, instead of building more & bigger prisons. Current prison system doesn't help anyone, but actually exploits the prisoner & the whole society.
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When policymakers think of the people who comprise the victims’ rights movement, young people of color from low-income communities may not be the first group that leaps to mind. But the facts suggest these survivors should be.
My organization conducted 2 years of research & found that 1 in 5 Californians experience crime – but its impact is concentrated & unequal. The majority of crime victims live in lower-income communities & repeat victimization is even more concentrated (echoing research on victimization in the entire US). When it comes to violent crime, those most likely to be repeatedly victimized are young people of color, especially African-American & Latino males.
2 out of 3 crime survivors reported being victimized more than once in the last 5 years. Many repeat victims have long histories of suffering multiple types of crimes, such as sexual exploitation, abuse or community violence. Worse still, only a small number of survivors receive any help, despite often experiencing severe depression, anxiety & post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of crime.
Young people of color from low-income communities bear an unconscionably disproportionate burden of violence & crime – & are victimized at staggering rates while also the least likely to get help to recover from trauma. Most frequently victimized, least often supported. There is something terribly wrong with this picture.
Beyond lacking access to recovery support, most crime victims also disagree with the direction criminal justice policymaking has taken over the last few decades of prison expansion. While the traditional approach to victims’ rights has focused on toughening punishments for people convicted of crime & strengthening the rights of victims during criminal proceedings, our research shows that most survivors of crime think that our current investments in justice system are unwise. 2 out of 3 California victims surveyed believe bloated prisons either make inmates better at committing crimes or have no impact on crime at all. Most survivors want greater investments into rehabilitation, mental health treatment & prevention over bigger prisons & jails.
Listening to crime victims can tell us a lot how we should reform our safety & justice systems. We must embrace survivors as unexpected advocates for justice reform. It’s time to stop pretending that building more prisons protects survivors – it doesn’t.
Procedural rights for victims are critical, & accountability for people who commit crime is an essential component of an effective criminal justice system. Yet, many victims never even get to a courtroom. National statistics reveal that over half of violent crime goes unreported, eliminating any possibility of a prosecution. And even when violent crimes are reported, less than half result in an arrest. So focusing only on criminal proceedings leaves out the experiences & needs of the majority of crime survivors.
Packed prisons & extreme sentencing for the fraction of crimes that result in a conviction also depletes the very resources needed to improve victim protection & community safety. We need to rethink what investments can serve & protect as many victims as possible, including the communities most impacted by crime. We should pay special attention to the needs of those at greatest risk of being repeatedly victimized, such as youth of color.
When victims go without trauma recovery support, they risk being victimized again & falling through the cracks in life: dropping out of school, suffering health problems, self-medicating to the point of addiction & even turning to crime themselves.
...
Instead of continuing to create harsh penalties that, in turn, create more prisons as our response to crime, we should invest in mental health care & trauma-informed services for anyone traumatized by violence, as well as safe places to go when crisis erupts, family support programs & economic recovery assistance for victims. We also need to improve the relationship between police, prosecutors & the communities they serve, so that victims trust – & can safely cooperate with – law enforcement to solve more crimes.
Despite the prevalence of pro-victim rhetoric during the prison-building era, few policymakers have asked themselves who experiences crime, who is most vulnerable to repeat crime or what survivors need to recover & avoid future harm. Most crime victims have never been at the center of attention of criminal justice policies, nor have their experiences & needs been considered as penal codes & prison populations mushroomed over the past 3 decades.
But the evidence suggests that when you ask the people most affected, survivors are less interested in spending tax dollars to fill more prisons & instead want to prioritize investments that will actually prevent crime in the first place. It is time for policymakers to finally listen – & put the perspectives of those most vulnerable to harm at the center of policies.
Since, I put most of what I think about this issue, in that blog post, I won't repeat myself, here. But, this opinion piece comes back to the same point that victims of violent crimes also want the same changes in the prison system, as the corrections officers; rehabilitation of prisoners instead of packing them in prisons like sardines. Building more prisons won't solve the crime. Locking a first-time offender with a hardened criminal only increases the chances that that first-time offender is only going to become a hardened criminal him/herself.
So, governments should be using the tax dollars in building more rehab centers for criminals, instead of building more & bigger prisons. Current prison system doesn't help anyone, but actually exploits the prisoner & the whole society.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When policymakers think of the people who comprise the victims’ rights movement, young people of color from low-income communities may not be the first group that leaps to mind. But the facts suggest these survivors should be.
My organization conducted 2 years of research & found that 1 in 5 Californians experience crime – but its impact is concentrated & unequal. The majority of crime victims live in lower-income communities & repeat victimization is even more concentrated (echoing research on victimization in the entire US). When it comes to violent crime, those most likely to be repeatedly victimized are young people of color, especially African-American & Latino males.
2 out of 3 crime survivors reported being victimized more than once in the last 5 years. Many repeat victims have long histories of suffering multiple types of crimes, such as sexual exploitation, abuse or community violence. Worse still, only a small number of survivors receive any help, despite often experiencing severe depression, anxiety & post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of crime.
Young people of color from low-income communities bear an unconscionably disproportionate burden of violence & crime – & are victimized at staggering rates while also the least likely to get help to recover from trauma. Most frequently victimized, least often supported. There is something terribly wrong with this picture.
Beyond lacking access to recovery support, most crime victims also disagree with the direction criminal justice policymaking has taken over the last few decades of prison expansion. While the traditional approach to victims’ rights has focused on toughening punishments for people convicted of crime & strengthening the rights of victims during criminal proceedings, our research shows that most survivors of crime think that our current investments in justice system are unwise. 2 out of 3 California victims surveyed believe bloated prisons either make inmates better at committing crimes or have no impact on crime at all. Most survivors want greater investments into rehabilitation, mental health treatment & prevention over bigger prisons & jails.
Listening to crime victims can tell us a lot how we should reform our safety & justice systems. We must embrace survivors as unexpected advocates for justice reform. It’s time to stop pretending that building more prisons protects survivors – it doesn’t.
Procedural rights for victims are critical, & accountability for people who commit crime is an essential component of an effective criminal justice system. Yet, many victims never even get to a courtroom. National statistics reveal that over half of violent crime goes unreported, eliminating any possibility of a prosecution. And even when violent crimes are reported, less than half result in an arrest. So focusing only on criminal proceedings leaves out the experiences & needs of the majority of crime survivors.
Packed prisons & extreme sentencing for the fraction of crimes that result in a conviction also depletes the very resources needed to improve victim protection & community safety. We need to rethink what investments can serve & protect as many victims as possible, including the communities most impacted by crime. We should pay special attention to the needs of those at greatest risk of being repeatedly victimized, such as youth of color.
When victims go without trauma recovery support, they risk being victimized again & falling through the cracks in life: dropping out of school, suffering health problems, self-medicating to the point of addiction & even turning to crime themselves.
...
Instead of continuing to create harsh penalties that, in turn, create more prisons as our response to crime, we should invest in mental health care & trauma-informed services for anyone traumatized by violence, as well as safe places to go when crisis erupts, family support programs & economic recovery assistance for victims. We also need to improve the relationship between police, prosecutors & the communities they serve, so that victims trust – & can safely cooperate with – law enforcement to solve more crimes.
Despite the prevalence of pro-victim rhetoric during the prison-building era, few policymakers have asked themselves who experiences crime, who is most vulnerable to repeat crime or what survivors need to recover & avoid future harm. Most crime victims have never been at the center of attention of criminal justice policies, nor have their experiences & needs been considered as penal codes & prison populations mushroomed over the past 3 decades.
But the evidence suggests that when you ask the people most affected, survivors are less interested in spending tax dollars to fill more prisons & instead want to prioritize investments that will actually prevent crime in the first place. It is time for policymakers to finally listen – & put the perspectives of those most vulnerable to harm at the center of policies.
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