On February 16, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held an oversight hearing on how to protect, compensate, and vindicate the interests of crime victims.
Chair Howard Coble (R-NC) remarked in his opening statement, “We need to make sure that our criminal justice system treats victims fairly and takes into account their rights to justice and compensation…Victimization can be emotionally and financially overwhelming and creates a burden on society.” He noted that in a 1996 study conducted by the National Institute of Justice, the calculated loss per victim was around $87,000 for rape and sexual assault, and the direct cost of child abuse and neglect was more than $24 billion annually. He added, “one rape or sexual assault occurs every 2.5 minutes…One child is reported abused or neglected every 35 seconds.”
Taking into consideration the rate of wrongful accusations and convictions, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) cautioned that “while we have to do what we can to limit crime victimization, we have to make sure that we do not limit the rights of the accused.” Asserting that “the best way to protect, compensate, and vindicate the interests of victims of crime is to prevent crime from happening in the first place,” Rep. Scott proposed an increased focus on preparing convicts to lead law abiding lives once released from prison.
Addressing the urgent needs of children who are victims of criminal abuse and neglect, Dr. Kathryn Coffman of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center explained that “in the majority of these cases, children are left in the homes [with their abusers] while attempts are made to ‘preserve’ the family.” This approach runs contrary to decades of research, which has shown that when children “live in chaotic or threatening environments, or are cared for by unresponsive or neglectful adults, they may suffer fundamental and permanent neurological damage with lifelong consequences,” said Dr. Coffman. Citing statistics that 1,500 children are killed every year by their parents or caretakers, she said, “There is a compelling argument for early and intensive intervention on behalf of these children.” Moreover, she emphasized, “children who are victims of child abuse and neglect are victims of crime. Those who perpetrate those offenses are criminals, and our society needs to treat them as such.”
Phyllis Turner Lawrence, a rape victim, urged Congress to implement a “truly victim-centered (and restorative) approach to justice” that would give victims the opportunity to be more involved in the justice system, particularly the policymaking process. She recommended a requirement that convicts take part in a demanding sex offender treatment program before being released. “We have to redefine our values, policies and practices in order to create a balanced, restorative approach to dealing with crime,” said Ms. Lawrence, arguing that such an approach would transform “an adversarial, punishment-driven system to one which is truly about changing and healing lives, not just processing cases.” She also encouraged Congress “to not only continue to leave the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding mechanisms intact, but to also increase funding to the Office for Victims of Crime and the federal programs regarding violence against women.”
