Advocates Focus on Crime Victims' Needs

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published December 11, 2006 at 7:13 AM PST

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

Michelle Renee tells the story of being taken hostage and forced to participate in a robbery in her book, 'Held Hostage.' We speak with her about the way the criminal justice system treats and tries t

Tom Fudge: Our criminal justice system exists to protect society and to punish those who commit crime. So, isn’t it strange that crime victims seem to be the ones who often get lost in the shuffle. In some cases they feel very abused by a system that is focused on protecting the rights of the accused.

Politicians often run on platforms of protecting victims and getting tough with criminals. But the interests of the state don’t always coincide with those of crime victims. And the ability of society to compensate victims of crime is limited.

Guests

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Michelle Renee , author of Held Hostage: The true story of a mother and daughter’s kidnapping . She is also founder of the violent trauma awareness project.
Cynthia Charlebois , director of the victim assistance program with the San Diego County District Attorney’s office.