The families of murder victims feel let down by the justice system, a support group for the relatives of violent crime said today.
Support after Homicide (SAH) said the traumatic grief suffered by loved ones is exacerbated rather than addressed by the statutory agencies they encounter.
Calling for victim impact statements to be read aloud in court, the group claimed the bereaved are not only victims of violence but subsequent victims of a system that traditionally has not recognised their grief and trauma. Last year 84 people were murdered in Ireland, the highest record ever.
Ann Meade, SAH chair, said a new report described the practical, emotional and psychological effects that families of homicide victims continue to experience.
“Murder is a heinous crime and exacts a heavy toll from the families and friends of the victim,” she said. “Whilst families may be the subject of universal sympathy, the response from society does not always recognise their needs or meet them very well.
“Full custodial sentences for murder are not being served, and many families feel that offenders are released after a few years.” Ms Meade said grief and anger are expressed at clinically high levels as families try to come to terms with losing a loved one through violence, while progressing through the investigative and criminal justice process.
Conducted by Joanne Cooper, the report - Emotional Effects and Subsequent Needs of Families Bereaved by Homicide in Ireland - was jointly commissioned by Support After Homicide and AdVIC and funded by the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime.
Among its recommendations, it urged that:
- Victim Impact Statements should be mandatorily requested by the judiciary; should contain a true and accurate representation of the character of the deceased; should be read out in open court.
- Any rules/guidelines relating to what may be presented in a Victim Impact Statement, should be made clear to the family by a member of the legal profession.
- Families should be informed by the prosecution team of the potential future utilisation of their Victim Impact Statement.
- Families should be offered the opportunity to take the stand at the inquest for a Victim Impact Statement.
Ms Meade said the research once again emphasised how families’ traumatic grief experiences appear in many instances to be exacerbated rather than addressed by the statutory agencies they encounter.
“In the aftermath of homicide, emotional effects and practical needs are at a high level, and recommendations were made as to how many of these effects and needs might be addressed,” she added. “With a few notable exceptions, families’ voiced needs in 2006 were similar to those expressed in 2000, and have not been addressed.
“The need for emotional support and practical information services continues to exist at a high level for those who experience traumatic bereavement in Ireland.”
SAH is a national voluntary organisation which provides emotional support and practical information to people whose lives have been affected by homicide. Its team of professionally trained volunteers has a background of 12 years in providing emotional, one to one and family support, practical information, group therapy, and liaison with relevant statutory and voluntary bodies.
PA