Passive Targets: Rape Victimization before Crime Victims' Rights

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Wrong place, wrong time?" Forty years ago crime victims, especially sexual assault victims, were viewed as passive targets. There were a lot of societal views that placed responsibility and shame on crime victims. This weekend, I watched three episodes of a documentary on HBO, I'll Be Gone In The Dark. This documentary chronicles the East Area Rapist in the seventies and eighties, later identified as the Golden State Killer, and is based on a true crime book by Michelle McNamara. This documentary highlighted what was absent in crime fighting forty years ago: cooperation, inclusiveness, equality, compassion, and understanding of victimization. I'm a crime story buff; however, I was specifically drawn to the interviews and experiences of the survivors. I listened to survivors share their pain, trauma, and secondary victimization. Secondary victimization refers to "victim-blaming" and behaviors that members of society engage in which results in additional trauma to victims of crime. Many disclosed that at the time of the crime, they were asked the wrong questions by society and investigators. They were asked why the crime happened to them instead of asking why this person raped them? It made me think of how our past has helped us overcome struggles. It's unfortunate, but sometimes we have to learn from other's suffering in order to identify where we need to improve. Our response to rape has evolved over the years, but we still see remnants of a time in history where crime victims were not treated with dignity, respect and sensitivity. Forty years ago, we lacked the understanding and resources needed to support rape survivors appropriately. Many survivors of the Golden State Killer included the husbands and boyfriends of the women who were raped. They were often questioned or blamed for the attacks and for not doing enough to stop or prevent it. Their inability to be a man and protect was questioned or challenged by investigators and society. These men were disabled by being tied up and gagged which in turn psychologically creates guilt. It was painful to listen to a couple talk about their horrifying experience and a husband express guilt and regret because he was incapacitated. In addition, the families of homicide victims were also traumatized and affected by these crimes in ways unimaginable. At this time, there were no resources for crime scene clean up and families of survivors had to take on this horrendous responsibility. Imagine having to clean up a murder of a relative and having to live with that imagery for the rest of your life. More disturbing was the lack of cooperation amongst police agencies to solve cases that were connected. This prolonged investigations and the murderer's plague on society. This was a time where the faults in our actions created a lot of delayed justice and a lack of trust. This sort of sounds like what we are going through today, lack of cooperation and trust limits our growth. It made me wonder, why so much resistance? One women, featured in an archived news clip from the time, had the answer and it was quite clear. These cases are unsolved because they are crimes against women. Mic drop. There was delayed justice by investigators because there was too much focus on the survivors responses. If you just watch the archived news footage of the East Area Rapist, its reinforcement of sexist attitudes and beliefs about women in society is grotesque. The safety videos that were created to prevent sexual assault were consistent with eating five hot dogs than going on a roller coaster. The awareness material consisted of women being instructed to dress appropriately, kick a guy in the groin, and don't put yourself in the wrong place at wrong time. At that time, society was being led by these archaic values and beliefs that obviously did not serve anyone especially survivors. Consistent reinforcement of limiting beliefs can affect society and in this case prolonged justice. These survivors had to live with fear, anxiety and injustice for a very long time. Despite the fact, in April of 2018, Joseph DeAngelo was arrested, charged and identified as The Golden State Killer, the damage is done. Highlighting this case and the survivor's stories can help us reflect on our growth and remind us of a time we do not want to relive. Reflection is a good way to keep us on the growth mindset path and continue to find ways to reduce trauma for survivors of violent crime.

 (Present Moment) The lack mentality of the past can be overshadowed by a promising present and future. In 1982, the first remnants of victims' rights surfaced. However, the active movement didn't occur until the late eighties through the nineties. The foundation of Crime Victims' Rights is to give victims a more meaningful role in the criminal justice system and to be treated fairly and inclusively during the criminal justice process. In 1994, the Violence Against Women Act became federal law and provided federal funding to improve services to victims of crime including imposed restitution. Because of VOCA funding, today, we have crisis response teams, specialty investigative units in law enforcement, trained sex crimes detectives, more female officers, victim services units, and SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) that create a more multi-disciplinary approach to crime fighting. Having these resources and advanced training reduces secondary victimization and fills the gap in services for crime victims. Crime victims have more access to resources for healing like crisis response teams and free counseling. Even our societal response and norms have improved, and we can be more sympathetic and compassionate towards rape survivors. We can now do better and ask the right questions if we choose to. Crime Victims' Rights definitely restored the balance for crime victims to be treated with dignity, respect, and sensitivity. The responses to crime have evolved but the reactions stay the same. Unfortunately, some survivors still report experiencing the trauma of secondary victimization but we can respond better to create a healthy space for healing. Despite our strives forward, some choose to stay in the past and as a reminder to providers, first responders and fellow agencies, victims of crime deserve growth and opportunity and we must break free from old patterns that keep us in a fixed mindset. To keep moving forward collaboration and communication is key. Agencies that are moving forward and passionately with resources and programs that help communities and survivors come forward and share your progress and information so that others can recreate your success in their communities. I have always felt that a multi-disciplanry approach to crime fighting, working together and sharing resources helps crime victims reduce secondary victimization. Reflection on the past can help us grow our future. Let's not let history repeat itself.

Below I will list collaborative efforts and resources that really make a positive impact on reducing crime and increasing victim safety and awareness. My latest episode of The Victim Assistant, Crime Victim Advocacy Podcast: Survivors of Homicide Victims, Exploring Grief and Support is now available on most outlets including ApplePodcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please subscribe, share and listen. Peace, Love, and Happiness. The Victim Assistant...Always advocating.

 Resources:

Crime Victims'Rights https://ovc.ojp.gov/topics/victim-rights-and-services
National Fatality Review Boards https://www.ncfrp.org/
Victim Connect https://victimconnect.org/
Victim Services https://ovc.ojp.gov/topics/crime-victim-services
Community Policing https://www.discoverpolicing.org/explore-the-field/what-is-community-policing/