In this video, 14 victims of violent crime describe the events in which they or a loved one were victimized and how the crime and its aftermath impacted them physically, emotionally, and materially.
The crimes involved were an arson-related homicide in which a woman's son was killed; assault with a metal baseball bat by a stranger who mistook the victim for someone else; a home burglary; two cases of adults physically and sexually assaulted in childhood by family members or friends of the family; physical and emotional abuse of a disabled young woman by a live-in boyfriend; victims of a drunk-driving car accident; a gang-related murder; assault classified as a racially based hate crime; two other homicide cases; robbery and rape by a stranger; and assault and robbery. Victims explain how their victimization had long-term implications for their lives, particularly in terms of their emotional and mental outlook. The video is intended for use with the curricula entitled "Impact of Crime on Victims," which is used with offenders in institutional and community-based settings in order to bring an awareness to offenders of how their criminal and delinquent behaviors harm their victims. The video can also be an effective training resource for victim service providers and allied professionals in order to increase their appreciation of the physical, emotional, financial, and psychological impacts of crime on its victims.