Moral Truth and Compounded Trauma: The Effects of Acquittal of Homicide Defendants on the Families of the Victims

This article examines the impact of acquittal of homicide defendants on the families of the homicide victim(s), illustrating how the families’ trauma was framed and complicated by the criminal justice process. Homicide trials had particularly compounded their trauma because to manage and partially r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Homicide studies 2016-08, Vol.20 (3), p.199-219
Main Author: Thiel, Darren
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquittals & mistrials
Criminal justice
Families & family life
Murders & murder attempts
Narratives
Trauma
Victims of crime
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Summary:This article examines the impact of acquittal of homicide defendants on the families of the homicide victim(s), illustrating how the families’ trauma was framed and complicated by the criminal justice process. Homicide trials had particularly compounded their trauma because to manage and partially repair the shattered reality wrought by the homicide, the families were compelled to construct moral and causal narratives about the event. Yet, defense counter-narratives conflicted with those of the families, and the acquittal validated those as truth. This fractured the families’ repair work, denied their claims to victimhood, and prolonged their bereavement indefinitely.
ISSN:1088-7679
1552-6720
DOI:10.1177/1088767915600200