Victims of crime often suffer physical injury, financial losses, and, almost invariably, emotional distress. Witnesses, too, experience stress, both in seeing the crime and in testifying about it. Yet, in addition to the impact of the crime itself, victims and witnesses too often have suffered a "second victimization" - insensitive treatment at the …show more content…
Victims often endure what is referred to by the professionals as a “second victimization. This refers to the mistreatment at the hands of the criminal justice system. Victims and witnesses often experience distress when working with the criminal justice personnel. One of the most common forms of distress is caused by insensitive questioning by police officers. Police or a prosecutor suggesting that the victim contributed to her victimization is also another common stressor. Other stressors caused by the criminal justice system are: inability of the victim to learn about the case or the outcome of the case, delays in victim 's property being held as evidence, fear of reprisal by defendant, loss of wages for time spent in court proceedings, frustration of having the case continued or dismissed, and the anxiety about testifying in open court. The criminal justice professionals can help alleviate the effects of this "second victimization" by offering more services to victims and