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April
6, 2002 |
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Hello, everyone. This is my fourth newsletter, and I hope you're finding
them worthwhile and even useful. My schedule makes it difficult to
do these every month, but I do hope to get one out every couple of
months or so at least.
Please let me know if you’d like me to cover any particular
topics, either by expanding on something I've talked about or
covering a subject for the first time. I’m interested in
discussing issues that are on your mind, to the extent that I’m
the right person to discuss them.
The Bulletin Board
Which brings me to the website's newest feature. As many of
you have noticed, we now have a Bulletin Board on the site. This
is one way I hope to stay in touch with what you're interested
in, and to encourage a community among you. There’s a general
forum, where people have posted a lot of questions on subjects
ranging from profiling resources to "hybrisophilia"
(if you're curious about that one, be sure to read the posts),
an FBI forum, and a forum for specific cases, like the Green River
Killer and the Tylenol Poisoner. We’ve gotten a lot of responses,
and I have to say I’ve been very impressed by the comments
and insights you’ve posted. It’s clear that a lot of
you really know what you’re talking about, that you’ve
read and learned about the criminal mind, the Bureau, the criminal
justice system, and many more specific areas of interest.
As far as my involvement is concerned, I’ve been very active
so far, and you can rest assured that all my responses are really
from me. I’ll stay involved as much as my schedule allows,
and as topics and questions dictate. But I also hope you’ll
discuss cases and issues with one another, whether I'm involved
in the discussion or not.
I and my staff will keep watch over the posts, both to stay on
top of what you're discussing and to make sure that there aren't
any threatening or criminal or otherwise inappropriate messages
posted. I think it's important for you to speak your mind, but
we have to keep the bulletin board safe. Also, we'll be clearing
off old messages every three months to keep the board manageable.
But I don't think that'll be a problem. I appreciate all your
comments and insights, and am very impressed by what I’ve
seen so far. One thing that’s been a big relief to me is
how sincere and serious most of the posts have been. I’m
glad to see that what I imagine can be a good research tool and
open forum hasn’t been compromised.
As long as people respect the intentions behind the bulletin board,
and as long as everybody is respectful of one another and especially
of any crime victims who — by way of going over cases —
are mentioned in discussions, I’ll be glad to keep it going.
I hope everybody sees eye to eye on that one.
Keep up the good work!
A Few Thoughts on Victims:
National Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 21 - 27
Now that I've got the business part of this out of the way,
I can focus on something much more important. The National Center
for Victims of Crime is a great organization, dedicated to "helping
victims of crime rebuild their lives". As stated on their
website, www.ncvc.org, April 21 - 27 is National Crime Victims'
Rights Week, an initiative aimed at "bringing honor to victims".
There are no victims whose suffering has been more acutely felt
and grimly imagined than those who died on September 11. I can’t
begin to comprehend how distraught the friends and families of
those who died must be. I know their despair doesn't go away.
But it must be some comfort to them — as it should be —
that the nation feels such great sympathy for and anger on behalf
of them and the loved ones they lost. Knowing that nearly every
person in the U.S., in the name of those who were killed, is behind
the war we’re engaged in and is not likely to waver in that
sentiment must be of some help to the victims’ friends and
families.
I have absolutely no criticism of any of that. But I do think
there is something to be learned from this that applies to surviving
victims of “everyday” violent crimes and their families.
We should offer them our support; we should be able to make that
commitment.
As you probably know, victims' rights are very important to me.
I think it's sad and even dangeorus how easily and quickly our
sympathies go from the victims to the criminals, due to media
"spin" in coverage and to our being given the details
about a lot of their unfortunate backgrounds.
Let me say first that I'm all for looking at things from every
angle. My work has depended upon doing just that—otherwise
I'd never have been able to put myself in the shoes of those involved
in violent crimes, both criminals and victims. It's very difficult
sometimes, and not just for the obvious reasons. You'd expect
it to be hard to put yourself in the shoes, or in the mind if
you will, of a deranged, violent predator. To a (much) lesser
extent, you'd expect it to be hard to do the same for a high-risk
victim, someone who might've been involved with serious drugs
or other crimes themselves.
But everybody gets a fair shake when it comes to trying to piece
together the "why + how = who" of an unsolved crime,
so profilers have to set aside any fears and judgments (we're
all human) to do their work.
And I understand that nothing is simply black and white. Most
violent criminals have been damaged in their lives, their development
twisted and misshapen by abuse or neglect or worse. I feel sorry
for them for what they've suffered.
But that sympathy never extends beyond that to what they've done
to others.
As I've said before, they have a choice. The only exceptions are
those individuals whose mental or developmental problems are so
severe that they cannot function as human beings—those who
truly cannot comprehend what they are doing or have done. But,
contrary to the impression you'd get from so many insanity defenses,
these are extremely rare cases.
I believe we should keep our sympathies, our focus, on the victims
and their families. They need our support. They don't stop suffering
when the media switches its attention from them to more sensational
stories about the criminals.
If we let our sympathies for violent criminals take us too far,
we end up with legislation that leads to short sentences and early
paroles, a situation I think we're in now. This means two things:
one, that justice isn't done, and surviving victims and victims'
families have to live with that inequity; and two, that we all
have to live with the reality that violent criminals are returned
to the streets, and those among them who are predators—like
sex offenders, serial killers—will no doubt do it again.
Sentences for those convicted of violent crimes should be strict
and carried out fully. Violent criminals decide what they're going
to do and then they do it. They have a choice.
Victims don't.
We've all rightly comprehended that fact with regard to the innocent
and the brave who died on September 11. I think a lesson we can
take from that is to remember that our sympathies should always
lie with the victims of violent crime. No matter what reasons,
explanations, and—worst of all—excuses we hear about
why the criminals may have done what they did, we should never
stop caring about the victims.
Just as, even as we learn more about who the hijackers were and
who others in their globe-spanning network are, and as we learn
more about their motives, we will not ever stop caring about those
who died on September 11.
To find out what you can do to help crime victims, visit ncvc.org
and consider joining their organization. I've touched on one aspect—sentencing.
There are many other critical measures we can advocate, like immediate,
unrestricted access to rape crisis specialists for rape victims.
Find out what you most care about and get involved if you can.
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