The Blame Game

Recently a young woman in New York was the victim of an unspeakable death. Savagely attacked, tortured, sexually assaulted , sodomized and her body unceremoniously dumped as if a piece of trash.

She made a mistake. A mistake which cost her life, but no one should pay such a price for being young and naïve.

An adult by law, she made the decision which ended in her demise. She stayed out much too late, partook in the demon alcohol and most likely had no thought that the night and her life would end as one.

I frequently watch the cable news talk shows that deal with the crime genre. One such program has been deluged with emails from both males and females of the species placing blame on the victim for her plight. She was out too late in the wrong neighborhood; she was drinking; what did she expect; irresponsibility; she had it coming to her; it was her fault. Yes, the victim lacked prudence and she threw caution to the wind. However, I disagree with the Neanderthal logic espoused by the self righteous , witch burning, holier than thou saviors without sin who seem so secure in casting the first stone without first looking into the mirror or at the very least reading the rest of the newspaper which they hold as the gospel.

I have worked both sides of the fence in the criminal justice system. Police officer and criminal defense attorney. I have seen the worse that people have to offer. Shall we shift the blame to a woman raped in her own home because she didn’t triple lock her door? Who is at fault for a mother killing her own child because the child cried too much? The child? The store clerk who is gunned down because he didn’t move fast enough? It is absurd to accuse the victim of wrongdoing in cases like these so why do we point the finger at victims simply because they made a mistake?

It must be comforting for the bad guys to know that they have such support in rationalizing their actions.