Victim Impact Classes For Incarcerated Men and Women
"You Have the Power Victim Impact classes forces inmates to think, often for the first time, about how their actions have caused pain and suffering within the community. That is often the first step in changing their overall thinking about crime and victims which leads to changed behavior. Our statistics indicate a marked improvement in understanding the victim's plight after offenders participate in our classes. I believe it is changing lives."
- Jim Cosby, Assistant Commissioner - Tennessee Department of Correction
Why would a victim advocate focus time and energy on incarcerated men and women? Don't we want to lock them up and throw away the key to keep society safe? As victim advocates we understand the painful and long-term effects of victimization. We want to prevent innocent people from having their life devastated by the selfish impulses of criminal activity. However, the realities of life tell us that 98% of incarcerated men and women will make it back to live in our society. They will be at the grocery store with us, at the shopping malls, in the movie theaters, driving on the streets with us, living in our neighborhoods. If we truly want to prevent violent crime, it only makes sense to give attention to those individuals that we know are capable of committing violent crime. The recidivism rate in our county, over 60%, indicates that offenders do repeat their crimes against society. While we have an offender in custody, it only makes sense to address the issues that brought them to prison - if we are "truly" dedicated to preventing victimization.
As victim advocates, we can address the issue of victim impact with incarcerated men and women. Many offenders never think about their victim as a human being. Many never think about their victim at all. Many offenders make themselves believe the impact of crime on a victim is fleeting. Many offenders do not understand that victimization has a trickle down effect that goes far beyond the primary victim. We know this because these are the responses we have received from incarcerated men and women who have participated in our classes. Helping offenders understand the impact of victimization, helping them understand their role in the process, may have an impact on perpetrating violence on innocent people in the future. As victim advocates we should be promoting education for incarcerated men and women to prepare them to lead lives on the outside that will not create additional victims - not because they deserve this care and attention, but because society does.
Here are some comments from offenders who have taken our classes:
"I broke into houses and I always thought that I just made my victims angry. But I understand now that it was a lot worse than that. I made them angry, I made them feel violated. They don’t feel safe in their own home. I will never make another person feel like that again. Whenever I heard about victims, they were faceless. But you’ve made it more real to me. Your class has made a bigger impact on me than anything else in this program."
"This is a very important class because you get to see crime through the eyes of the victim. The hurt and disruption that they constantly deal with because of someone else. I see how my decision making affects other people’s lives. This class make the pain feel real. I wasn’t raised to hurt people like this and I’m not gonna continue to do so. This class has played a major role in my desire to change!!!!"
"I have really learned a lot from this class. I had never even thought about the victims’ point of view or the way they thought or felt because of what I had done to them. I won’t live the same life style again when I leave. I will be more accepting to change and being more aware of the people around me and their feelings."
New - Victim Impact Curriculum available for purchase
YHTP victim impact curriculum incorporates four different teaching styles: discussion, speakers, videos, and outlines. All of the videos include the voice of the victim - they are the true experts. This curriculum is appropriate for both juveniles and adults and can be used in incarceration, parole, and reentry settings. It is designed for a minimum of 15, 2 1/2 hour classes, covering a total of 10 topics. However, it can be used in a variety of formats, and you will find options in which you will be able to tailor the curriculum to meet the confines of your program. Click here for more information or contact Sara Kemp for details.
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