Dear Source:
In response to Iris Kern's letter, how will abuse, molesting, and rape in this community ever stop when VI Judges and the Attorney General lawyers fail to properly represent and protect the victims of these crimes? Victims are repeatedly re-victimized by our own supposed justice system. No victim should ever have to hear that a judge of our court systems does not like to listen to rape crimes. No victim should ever have to hear that because they know their abuser whether as an acquaintance or were in a previous relationship that a judge will not take a heinous action of force against the victim seriously. No victim should ever have to hear that an abuser's lawyer seeks out a particular judge for the case because the judge is well known for letting abusers go free. No victim should be ignored when they do not want a plea deal, when they feel the crime against them was so serious they want it to go to court. No victim should have to sit through a court case and be denied to even make a victim's impact statement. No judge should ever make a ruling without listening to both sides. The facts are these are things victims are having to deal with. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to bring these very personal crimes to the courts. I commend every victim that tries to get justice for having that kind of courage. It is a downright shame to our society that any should have to deal with the things they are dealing with inside our system in this day and age.
Until our supposed justice system changes to recognize the seriousness of abuse, molesting, and rape, nothing will change. We will continue to repeatedly hear in the news more and more of all these crimes. The batterers of this community know they stand a better chance of getting away with it than ever being punished for these crimes as they should be.
Who do we thank for that? Our "injustice" system. How many more lives have to be ruined by these crimes before they are taken as seriously as they should be? When will our justice system stop being the biggest batterer of all to victims?
Carol Berry
St. Thomas
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