Past Interviews  Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky - Should We DNA Type Anyone Who's Arrested? DNA Expert  Talks With Leslie Glass. Robert Knightly - Former Cop Defends in Court the Perps He Used to Put Away. E.W. Count, the author of Cop Talk: True Detective Stories   from the NYPD and the novel, The Hundred Percent Squad, knows more about New York City cops than any civilian going.

Susan Herman
of the National Center for Victims of Crime Talks About "Privacy and Dignity: Crime Victims and the Media"

- by Leslie Glass 

As a crime author with a grim fascination for tabloid journalism, I am particularly sensitive to the way both victims and suspects are represented in the press. Grief, shock, and blame are the commodities that are paraded in front of us whenever a tragedy occurs.

We've seen it a million times as hundreds of video cameras record the shock and devastation at the funeral of a model high school student shot senselessly on the way home from school. Like a wounded animal surrounded by a pack of hyenas, the family of the dead child is surrounded by reporters -– a kind of devil's chorus – who ask how they feel and what they want. The words of those grieving families, spoken in moments of extreme anguish, are recorded and played back over and over in the coming days, and possibly again months later when the perpetrator of the crime comes to trial.

We've also seen families of abused women murdered by battering husbands having to endure first the death, then the demolition of the victims' characters in the media before the trial even starts. A rape victim is assaulted not just once, but many times, as her habits and history are published and her actions prior to the rape are extensively examined. When children are gunned down at school, the lights, camera, and action come up on the survivors.

A few weeks ago, I visited Susan Herman, the executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime, in Washington D.C. The National Center, founded 15 years ago, works with over 10,000 grassroots organizations all over the country forging a national commitment to help individuals, families and communities rebuild lives that have been harmed by crime. I toured the National Center, saw its victim hotline in action, and talked with Susan about the impact of crime on victims and the role it plays in victim advocacy.

Susan herself is a delight. Susan is a high-profile graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Antioch School of Law, and she has an intimate knowledge of our criminal justice system and the way America as a nation views crime, punishment and victims. Other titles Susan has held before going to Washington include: Special Counsel to the Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Director of Mediation at the Institute for Mediation and Conflict Resolution, and Director of the Domestic Violence Division of Victim Services in New York City.

The Leslie Glass Foundation recently funded a new booklet developed by the National Center, "Privacy and Dignity: Crime Victims and the Media." The booklet, which will be published in summer 2000, will help victim service providers help victims face the double-edged sword of media scrutiny. I had a special interest in hearing more about the book, and I asked Susan to tell me more about it.

LG: I'm very excited about "Privacy and Dignity." How do you see it helping victims?

SH: Nobody is prepared for being a victim, having a child murdered or being raped, shot, robbed, or hurt. Violations like these are unthinkable. And yet these crimes happen dozens of times every day. Our society tends to focus all of its vast resources on the Criminal Justice end of the crime, the courts, the judges and juries, prisons and punishment – and not repairing the lives of victims. Victims of crime are a forgotten part of our society. Among the many things missing for them is the sense of being in control over a traumatic situation. "Privacy and Dignity" helps them make decisions about how to tell their story and to put them back in control.

LG: The public has always been hungry for down and dirty story-telling. The phenomenon of graphic reporting is as old as time. In the 21st century, however, we have many more techniques to get information and spew it out. The blizzard of information is greater than at any time in history. With the ability to get more and show more, there's big controversy among the press themselves about how far to go. How can victims possibly take control?

SH: Communications media are among the most persuasive and powerful forces in our society. And it can go both ways. They can be aimed like a weapon of destruction, or they can be used as a tool for healing. Too often, victims are not fairly represented. They're blamed and humiliated for the harm they've suffered. And they're harmed once again by those crude images of the criminal events they've experienced that you're talking about. Not only that, their very safety can be compromised as well. Victims need counseling on how to talk with the media.

It isn't a simple issue. There's always a conflict about whether to work with the media: how much to keep private, how to tell the story. Many victim advocate groups try to shield victims from exposure altogether, because they can regret the things they say on TV that become repeated over and over. With "Privacy and Dignity" we're getting the message out that the experience can be controlled and the trauma reduced. People may want their version of the story told. Limits can be set. We want to send the message that the press can be very useful in helping to change the environment where crimes have occurred and even the system itself – if used correctly.

LG: I know you've spent a year working on this publication, and you've consulted a wide variety of experts. Tell me about the format of the book.

SH: "Privacy And Dignity" is a compact, user friendly desk reference – aAcÂdebook – based on the premise that for the sake of their clients, victim service professionals should work with members of the media, not avoid them. Whether victims want complete anonymity or welcome media attention, it is a task of victim advocates at all levels to support crime victims in the choices they make and to empower them to make those choices.

Throughout the publication, the National Center has highlighted the benefits of good working relationships with the media in the belief that, ultimately, positive media relations are in the best interest of crime victims, of the field that serves them, and of society itself.

The guidebook is divided into two parts. The first, "Privacy," outlines key issues concerning individual privacy rights and press freedoms. It also stresses the need for advocates to empower victims to make their own informed choices, rather than to make those choices for them.

The second part, "Dignity," provides practical advice on how to foster relationships with the media in a professional and productive manner. It is a basic primer for crime victim advocates and organizations with limited experience in media relations. 

Susan and I finished our talk about "Privacy and Dignity." However, we didn't even begin to scratch the surface on all the areas in which the National Center works – civil justice and public policy; direct services to victims on such issues as stalking; crimes against the elderly; safety in neighborhoods and malls; teen victims, and much more.

For more information about the National Center for Victims of Crime, visit their website at www.ncvc.org. If you or someone you know has been a victim of crime and you want information or referral to services, call 1-800-FYI-CALL.

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