The label of the ‘Vengeful Victim’ was introduced as it was believed that a victim’s sole purpose of reporting their crimes to the Police was in a hope that their offender would be punished, particularly by imprisonment or another form of harsh punishment. Recent research has suggested that this is no longer the most desired outcome the victim wishes to achieve, with procedural justice being the most important aspect of the victims Criminal Justice process. Procedural Justice suggests that both parties (the victim and the offender) are to be treated fairly and consistently. Murphy and Barkworth (2014) have portrayed procedural justice by the following main ideas; Respect, Trustworthiness and Voice, with other researchers such as Miller and …show more content…
Yet, Victims do not feel as though their voices are being heard appropriately and many claim that this a key aspect they desire from their Criminal Justice process (Tyler, 2007). Mawby and Walklate (1994), “ … many victims experience an acute need to be ‘reassured’ by the police. Others state that victims expect the police to recognize their status as someone who had been wronged by a fellow citizen”. Evidence suggests that when victims report their crime they are often met by the police with accusations of false reporting and disbelief (Jordan, 2004). Victims want to be heard. They want to have their story listened to with non-criticizing attitudes, they want their opinions to be heard and they want to be able to participate in the case with their opinion being taken into consideration (Tyler, 2007) (Malsch and Carrière, 1999). In the Criminal Justice system, today and historically, this is not the case. The only way a Victims voice is heard is through a Victim impact statement, which still has limitations (Miller and Heffner, 2013). The Victim Impact statement gives victims a chance to voice (write down) what happened to them and to express their feelings about the case (Thibault and Walker, 1975). This is one of the only ways a victim can communicate their message effectively as face-to-face discussions with their offender are usually too traumatic. This right however has been taken away with victims being told they can not put certain information in them and can not use certain ‘angry or upsetting tones’ (Thibault and Walker, 1975). This only left victims feeling agitated and like their story was not important and too insignificant to be taken seriously. Procedural Justice means the process is fair and that victims must have a voice and be treated respectfully. Murphy and Barkworth (2014)