Victimized by Violent Sexual Assault, Then by the Justice System
Reader’s Question
About two years ago I was violently sexually assaulted by two men who broke into my home in the middle of the night with a gun. I had to wait until this past May for the trial. The DA ended up pleading one of the guys out to 5 years with no mention of a sex crime on his record, just aggravated burglary. As far as the other guy is concerned, they told me that he had just been sentenced to 35 years for other crimes and it wasn’t worth their time either to try him or reach some sort of plea deal with him. So he got no additional punishment for the attack.
I have been to a couple of counseling sessions, but the sessions actually made me feel worse rather than better. My therapist said I wasn’t experiencing the “normal” reactions to the attack. What does that even mean?
I was really counting on the trials of my attackers to give me some sort of closure. Now I just feel lost and helpless. I feel like the incident occurred so long ago that my family and friends have forgotten about it and expect me to be over it, too. I am so sick of being afraid all the time. And now on top of everything else, I feel like the justice system is a joke. Everything is a joke.
How to I keep from feeling so empty and jaded? How am I supposed to trust authority? How do I move on without closure?
Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply
Having worked for many years counseling victims of such crimes, including sexual assault, and having much experience with the justice system, especially with regard to sexual offenses, I was deeply touched by your story. I wish with all my heart that I could tell you that situations like you describe are uncommon. But the fact is that there are many reasons why prosecuting sex crimes effectively is a difficult enterprise that often results in various types of plea bargains and sentences that leave a person wondering where all the justice is.
Counseling trauma victims, especially victims of violent sexual assault, is a very sensitive enterprise calling for special training. I encourage you to stick with it, and if you don’t find the experience with your present counselor helpful, please seek help from another whose credentials in the area are well known and respected. Healing from the kind of trauma you’ve been through often takes considerable time, and the pacing of therapy must be done with care.
Some U.S. federal government agencies, including the Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women’s office, are working to provide specialized training to police officers, prosecutors, and judges as well as to develop uniform and effective guidelines for the handling of evidence, prosecution of cases, and sentencing of sexually violent offenders.
Your mistrust of “the system” is very understandable, but you might be able to take some heart in knowing that agencies in every state in the U.S. are working to rectify the problems you bring to light. Your state is also likely to have a state-appointed board of commissioners dedicated to such efforts. Perhaps knowing what such agencies are doing to end some of the injustices in the system might help you get some degree of closure and help you feel a little safer.
