Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado is home to one of the deadliest high school shootings in United States history. On April 20, 1999, two Columbine High School students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went on a shooting rampage at their high school (shooting teachers and students) killing fifteen, including themselves, and injuring twenty-four others. The two very-troubled boys hoped to kill thousands of people, but when their homemade bombs failed to detonate, they resorted to guns purchased for them by their friends. John Stone, the Jefferson County Sheriff, said “it was a pretty gruesome sight” once they were able to enter the crime scene; Stone also called the attack “a suicide mission” (New York Daily News, 2015). There is speculation
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Abstaining from speaking about the accused would have helped prevent false facts from spreading worldwide like a wildfire. The idea that they committed the crime due to being bullied, being members of a group of social outcasts that was fascinated by Goth culture (Trench Coat Mafia), or being influenced by violent video games and music could have possibly been avoided. Advocates are trained to support victims of crimes—whether it be providing crisis intervention and emotional support, offering information, resources, referrals, and written materials, facilitating the victim’s decision making process. It is imperative for a victim’s advocate to be present in a situation like this because they help to give a voice to the victims; when the media comes full force trying to get a newsworthy story, an advocate can speak for the victim and keep the media away. A victim advocate could have provided different possibilities accessible by the victim and be behind them every step of the recovery. It seemed as if Isiah’s father had a harder time with this interview without physically encountering the mass shooting. This interview could have been too soon for him to put input into it on his …show more content…
With a little more effort, hopefully some circumstances can be averted. If it does in fact come to a catastrophe like in Columbine, a victim advocate can be of most service to the victim’s and their families with some guidance on where to go next. Katie Couric’s interview with Craig Scott and Isiah’s Shoel’s father showed the true impact of an event such as Columbine on victims and their families. This was an unfortunate circumstance which may or may not have been avoided with just a guidance or a little more focus on the troublesome kids. In conclusion, the media attempted to provide true information in a timely period—with this in mind, some false information could be spread which is
Abstaining from speaking about the accused would have helped prevent false facts from spreading worldwide like a wildfire. The idea that they committed the crime due to being bullied, being members of a group of social outcasts that was fascinated by Goth culture (Trench Coat Mafia), or being influenced by violent video games and music could have possibly been avoided. Advocates are trained to support victims of crimes—whether it be providing crisis intervention and emotional support, offering information, resources, referrals, and written materials, facilitating the victim’s decision making process. It is imperative for a victim’s advocate to be present in a situation like this because they help to give a voice to the victims; when the media comes full force trying to get a newsworthy story, an advocate can speak for the victim and keep the media away. A victim advocate could have provided different possibilities accessible by the victim and be behind them every step of the recovery. It seemed as if Isiah’s father had a harder time with this interview without physically encountering the mass shooting. This interview could have been too soon for him to put input into it on his …show more content…
With a little more effort, hopefully some circumstances can be averted. If it does in fact come to a catastrophe like in Columbine, a victim advocate can be of most service to the victim’s and their families with some guidance on where to go next. Katie Couric’s interview with Craig Scott and Isiah’s Shoel’s father showed the true impact of an event such as Columbine on victims and their families. This was an unfortunate circumstance which may or may not have been avoided with just a guidance or a little more focus on the troublesome kids. In conclusion, the media attempted to provide true information in a timely period—with this in mind, some false information could be spread which is