The After-effects of Being a Crime Victim

Crime victims suffer immediate physical or financial problems associated with being a crime victim. However, the victimization doesn’t stop when the actual crime is over. There are a number of after effects that crime victims suffer after the actual crime has been committed. The suffering from being a crime victim can continue throughout the criminal justice system process. Many times the victim is interrogated by the police and questioned by others, family, friends, etc., in a negative manner suggesting that the victim somehow caused or did something to increase their chances of becoming a victim of crime. This sort of blaming the victim is very popular when it comes to rape victims. Many times people will assume the woman did something that caused her attacker to rape her.

Due to a lack of knowledge about the criminal justice process, many victims are unaware of many things that happen with their case. Crime victims are often left out of the process. Also, at times, the criminal justice system appears to be protecting the suspect, instead of protecting the victim. Crime victims may also suffer economic hardships due to a lost in wages when they have to appear in court to testify. The whole process of appearing in court causes the crime victim to have to relive the incident over and over again.

Crime victims may suffer from stress and anxiety over a long period of time. This is more likely to happen to victims of serious crimes. Many crime victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, which is an emotional imbalance that causes anxiety attacks, flashbacks, and often result in the crime victim having difficulty living a normal life. Some crime victims also suffer long-term physical conditions. Crime victims that were shot or stabbed can be paralyzed. Mental and physical problems are constant affect effects that crime victims suffer from over a long period of time. The mental and physical after effects also cause a long-term financial burden on the crime victim. Visiting psychologists and physical therapy specialists is not cheap.

Another after effect of being a crime victim is the constant fear that lingers. Being a victim of a minor crime could still cause a person to remain fearful and paranoid. Even hearing about other crimes and another’s victimization may cause a crime victim to become extremely fearful, even paranoid, reliving their own victimization. Victims of violent crime suffer the most from the after affect of fear. They may constantly have an ongoing sense of fear causing them to feel their attacker will come back to harm them. Also, many crime victims become fearful of being victims of other crimes. This fear can result in a crime victim completely changing their lifestyle and looking at the world in a more suspicious and cynical manner. The after effects of fear often causes stress, anxiety, and psychological problems in the crime victim

An after effect some crime victims encounter is that they may engage in crime themselves. This is more likely to occur if the crime victim seeks revenge on the attacker or was a victim of abuse. Studies have shown that children of abuse often repeat this behavior. The after effects of crime victims can continue for years, especially those who have been victims of violent crime. Another after effect that happens is to the family of a crime victim. Family members of murdered victims suffer an enormous amount of after affects including all of the above. Contrary to what people say or believe, family members never experience any sort of closure when a family member is murdered.