This article examines secondary victimization and how the criminal justice system affects victims' psychological recovery from the crime. Victim recovery was measured using the Modified Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Scale (MPSSS). This study is prospective, following victims as their cases passed through the criminal justice system. How authorities treated victims was measured in terms of victims' procedural justice judgements. Using a general linear model with repeated measures, unfair procedures were found to impact victims' recovery. The article closes with a discussion of the findings and their implications.
Victims' experiences in the justice system may help or hinder their healing process. Restorative justice aims to heal the suffering caused by victimization (Zehr 2002). However, some victim advocates have expressed concern that restorative justice may augment victims' suffering. This article presents the results of an evaluation of the experiences of crime victims who were invited to participate in a mediation program. Using therapeutic jurisprudence as a framework, the study looks at how victims' fear was affected by the program and whether their participation in the program helped with their recovery.
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