Crime Victims

     A victim of crime is often not considered because when we hear of a crime, all the focus is on the criminal. If a headline reads "Woman murdered by husband" our thoughts travel along the lines of "how long is he going to jail for?" and "wonder why he did it", not, "I wonder what the woman's family is thinking" and "I wonder if the woman's friends are in therapy". It's just not really something that intrigues us, or perhaps, the thought makes us feel guilty and sorry for the people so we like to pretend they don't exist. But if we ever stop to think about how a victim of crime, or someone who is associated with a victim, actually deals with all this pain and suffering, the answers are perhaps way more shocking then what we first thought. The effects of being a victim of crime can be split into two categories: short-term and long-term.
     Short term effects of crime victims would be things such as shock, oversensitive nerves, emotional downs, lack of sleep, lack of appetite, nervousness, required counseling sessions, lack of relationships, change of housing, disinterest, anger, stress, and extreme fear. Long term effects would be things such as over cautiousness/ fear, lack of interest, anti social behaviour, continued counseling sessions, anger, hatred, changed personality traits, post-traumatic stress disorder, and nervousness.
     An HIV-positive sex offender by the name of John Francis Dionne is wanted for kidnapping a young girl in Calgary. The 10-year old girl, who was shopping in a local mall, was accused of shoplifting by Dionne, who was posing as a cop, and forced to get into a green/turquoise Dodge Caravan on a Thursday night. The victim was released shortly after in a McDonalds restaurant. However, it is far from over for that young, 10-year old girl.
     That young girl won't find closure once she is 'safe' again.  She won't even find closure when the criminal is caught.  The victim of a crime, as well as being constantly reminded by his subconscious mind, has to relive the crime in order to tell others what has happened.  The victim will be interviewed by multiple policemen,  investigators, and reporters.  Every time that girl retells the crime, she is reliving it.  All throughout her teen years and her young adult years she will be greatly impacted by this crime; how she deals with it is key to how she grows up and responds to the world around her.  She will probably grow up being a lot more cautious with strangers, especially when alone.  She may even be over-cautious as a teen and may have issues with older men and trust.
     Softening the impacts victims have to deal with could be done in many different ways.  First of all a police officer, or whoever is the first one conducting the first interview with the victim could audio record the interview and use it as reference for others who need a similar interview so that the victim doesn't need to repeat himself so many times, therefore he doesn't need to relive the event so many times.  Also, creating a soft, compassionate environment for the victim, instead of disregarding them, will make a victim feel more comfortable and less stressed about their situation.
     Making a victim feel better and more relaxed after a crime is really important because these crimes are life changing and the shape the way the victim's view their lives and life around them.  Easing the pain and the stress could make a world of a difference to their lives.