The Experiences of Homicide Victims' Families With the Criminal Justice System: An Exploratory Study

Although the crime of homicide has received significant attention from scholars, little research exists that examines the impact of homicide on surviving family members. Because opportunities for victims and family members of victims to participate in the criminal justice system are increasing, it i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Violence and victims 2014-01, Vol.29 (3), p.407-421
Main Authors: Englebrecht, Christine, Mason, Derek T., Adams, Margaret J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral Sciences
Counseling
Crime
Crime Victims - psychology
Criminal Justice
Criminal Law
Emotions
Family - psychology
Female
Focus Groups
Grief
Homicide
Homicide - psychology
Humans
Male
Marginality
Marriage and Family Counselling
Participation
Policy, Social Justice, and Human Rights
Psychology
Punishment
Sentencing
Social and Personality Psychology
Social Work
Society
Studies
United States
Victims
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although the crime of homicide has received significant attention from scholars, little research exists that examines the impact of homicide on surviving family members. Because opportunities for victims and family members of victims to participate in the criminal justice system are increasing, it is important to understand the impact of these forms of participation on those who choose to participate. This study uses data from focus groups to examine the experiences of homicide survivors within the criminal justice system, including views about how system involvement and specific outcomes (i.e., sentencing) may help or hinder healing. Findings suggest that many families leave the criminal justice system feeling marginalized and revictimized. This study calls into question the current criminal justice system's ability to meet the needs of crime victim and their families.
ISSN:0886-6708
1945-7073
DOI:10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-12-00151