In the Law and Order episode we watched, the effects that the assault had on Harper were illustrated right after it had taken place, and six months later. There is a great difference in Harper’s character six months after the attack takes place. When the police try to find her six months after her attack, we learn that her relationship has ended, she has started working out a lot, she sleeps with her shoes on, she’s moved apartments, the way she dresses and decorates her apartment differently, and her attitude towards the detectives has changed. In the beginning of the episode, she is determined to do all she can to bring her assaulter to justice. She sits through hours of questioning and comes as soon as she hears that there is a chance to ID the man. However, she becomes discouraged when she finds out the man they had was not her attacker. She also gets frustrated when the detectives question her use of marijuana, feeling as if they are suggesting that she could have just been paranoid or partially at fault for the attack.
Six months later, when the detectives find her at her new apartment, she is unwilling to ID the man that they have brought in, even though they are certain it is her attacker. She claims that she has gotten over what happened, but her actions and behaviour clearly suggest otherwise. She had become scared and angry, worried that it could happen again, but she was too afraid to face how she was feeling and lived in denial. Even her outward appearance had changed. Her clothes were neutral toned rather than colourful as they had been before, and she cut her hair. Even her apartment was decorated very sparsely, and din’t look like as much of a home as her last apartment had. Once she agrees to ID the man, and finds that she can’t, she breaks down. All of the emotions she had been holding in for the past six months come out. Harper’s story clearly demonstrates that the trauma that comes with being a victim of violent crime does not leave, even after going through therapy.
The Guardian article: “Stanford sexual assault case: victim impact statement in full” demonstrates the real-life impacts of sexual assault on a victim. The woman describes the incident, from going to a frat party, to waking up in the hospital, being told she had been assaulted. She felt confused and violated, describing the feeling as she showered as “not wanting her body anymore.” She didn’t want to tell her boyfriend or her parents that what happened; all she knew was that she had been found behind a dumpster. She was worried that if she saw their reaction, it would make her even more terrified. She tried to forget about it, but it was still eating at her, and she couldn’t eat or sleep, and she began to isolate herself. The way she learned what had happened to her was through an article. One day while she was at work, she came across an article that detailed exactly what had happened. The article included a statement by the man who had assaulted her. According to him, she had liked it. She learned about her assault from the news because she had no recollection of it, and felt that no one would listen to her because of this. She was told that she couldn’t say she didn’t like it, because she didn’t remember it. This destroyed her.
She soon learned that her assaulter was prepared to take this to court. He had hired an expensive legal team, and seemed to be willing to go to great lengths to invalidate the victim. She was told to prepare in case she didn’t the case, but she said she couldn’t do that. He was guilty. She was also told that because she couldn’t remember anything, he was going to be able to say anything he wanted, and there would be no one to contest it. She felt powerless, weak, and helpless. She was constantly being reminded that because she didn’t remember, her testimony was dismissable.
Rather than taking time to heal from her asssault, she had to dedicate her time to remembering it in as much excruciating detail as possible.She was forced to undergo questioning in court that felt degrading. With questions like “Would you ever cheat?” and others with the intention to undermine her integrity. She felt attacked, as if they were saying “She’s an alcoholic,” and, “she wanted it.” She was being blamed and re-victimized in the courtroom. Her assaulter claimed she had consented to everything that had happened. Eventually, the trial came to a close, and he was convicted as guilty.
In her response to her assaulter’s statement, she had this to say: “My independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition. I became closed off, angry, self-deprecating, tired, irritable, empty. The isolation at times was unbearable. You cannot give me back the life I had before that night either. While you worry about your shattered reputation, I refrigerated spoons every night so when I woke up, and my eyes were puffy from crying, I would hold the spoons to my eyes to lessen the swelling so that I could see. I showed up an hour late to work every morning, excused myself to cry in the stairwells, I can tell you all the best places in that building to cry where no one can hear you, the pain became so bad that I had to tell my boss I was leaving, I needed time because continuing day to day was not possible. I used my savings to go as far away as I could possibly be.” She described the state of fear she now lives in, explaining that she can’t sleep in the dark anymore, she can’t go for walks alone anymore, she’s afraid to go to social events that involve alcohol, she feels like has lost her independence— she always feels the need to be protected, and is unable to relax. The sexual assault never left her, even after the trial was over.
There isn’t much that can be done to lessen the impacts of crime on victims. Once they are victimized, their experience can never be undone. However, we can support victims through their trauma by providing services for them such as emotional support;to help them work through the psychological impacts of being victimized, guidance through the criminal justice system; to help reduce their feeling of re-victimization, and access to financial aid; to help counteract the financial toll that being a victim of crime may have had on them.
Danielle's Criminology Blog 