Most victims of crime usually experience both physical and psychological wounds. Psychological wounds usually endure long after the physical wounds have healed. Victims of crime can go through intense fear, terror, and shock. Physical wounds could involve severe injuries that leave some disabled and even losing one’s life or the life of a loved one. Victims also go through losses that could involve loss of their property and financial losses that could affect their lives afterwards. Even though victims are usually the ones that are mostly affect, the criminal justice system rarely considers their needs and places an emphasis on punishing the offenders. For justice to be served, the criminal justice system should address the needs and concerns of victims.
Emphasis on a Restorative Process
An ideal model of the criminal justice system would not focus on punishment and incarceration but on the restorative process of the victims. Instead of focusing on probation, fines, and incarceration of the victims, the criminal justice should also place an equal emphasis on restitution. This would mean that the primary goal of the criminal justice system should not be to punish offenders but to ensure that the victims needs have been met. Instead of only focusing on the fact that one has paid for wrongdoings, there should also be a focus on the fact that the victim has recovered from the traumatizing experience.
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Establishment of Policies
There is a need to introduce policies and facilities that would help victims that have gone through violent encounters. Victims that go through a traumatizing experience usually have to go for counseling. They may have to pay for the medical, therapeutic, and counseling expenses. There is a need to establish policies to ensure that victims do not get charged anything for these services. One of the policies that can be established is for the government to directly reimburse victims of violent crimes. The victim compensation should pay for medical expenses, counseling costs, funeral expenses, and the lost wages. There is a need to have the compensation done even when no arrest has been made or anyone convicted for the crime.
The Offender Should Work for the Victim
A part of the restorative approach to sentencing would involve having the offender to work for the victim. This will especially apply in situations where the victim lost property as a result of the criminal offense. In order for the victim to be fully compensated, the offender should be obliged to work for the victim until certain goals and objectives have been met. This would enable the offender to have a chance to understand the struggles that the victim goes through. However, the offender should be placed in a controlled and protected environment to prevent further losses on the part of the victim.
Victim Surcharge
The victim surcharge is an additional penalty that is imposed on the offender at the time of the sentencing. This amount is usually used to help fund the services and programs that focus on the assistance of victims. The amount of the surcharge is usually expressed as a percentage of the fine imposed on the offender. The percentage of the surcharge should be increased so as to provide adequate help to victims.
In conclusion, the current criminal justice system is at fault because it places a greater amount of emphasis on simply punishing the offender. There is a need to have a greater emphasis on the victims of the crime. Policies and regulations should be established to ensure that victims of violent crimes are compensated. The amount of the compensation should also be increased so as to address the needs of the victims adequately.
