For those of you who have been reading this month, I am featuring some thoughts from professionals, students, teachers, etc in the field of criminal justice. This week's post is about Joyce, a victim advocate AND criminal justice graduate student.
**Below are several questions that the person was asked to respond to. Answers are the individual's and have not been changed in any form.**
1. What is your experience/education with criminal justice? (you don't need to list the exact employer/schools, rather just discuss positions/degrees/internships/etc.)
I currently am a victim advocate at a non-profit organization that helps people of all ages who have been a victim of crime. I have a Bachelor’s of arts in Psychology from Millersville University and am currently working towards my Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at West Chester University.
2. What draws you to a field related to criminal justice?
Growing up, my dad worked in law enforcement so I think that’s where the interest really started. As I got older, especially post-college, my interests and abilities shifted into finding a position where I could help people. I have always known that I wanted to help people in some capacity and have always had an interest in the criminal justice system, so finding a job as an advocate is the best of both worlds. 3.. Is there a specific area of criminal justice that interests you and/or you have a particular strength in?
In my current position I help victims of crime at all stages of the criminal justice system, from filing that initial police report all the way through the court process. I really enjoy helping people from start to finish because it’s amazing to see the strength that someone has once they finally have justice for their victimization. I love seeing a client of mine moving from the mindset that they are a victim to that they are a survivor. 4. What challenges do you face in your position? What do you need to better face those challenges?
One challenge that I have faced in my current position would be the constant changing and updating of technology that is used to victimize children and teens. There are so many different apps that are out there that have made it easier for some children and teens even more vulnerable to victimization. This can be a challenge with my position because it is often difficult explaining this to a young victim, or their parents, especially if the application is difficult for law enforcement to gather evidence and information. These cases are tricky and it is always helpful to continue education regarding new apps and how they could possibly be used to target children and teens.
5. How does working in the criminal justice field impact your personal life?
Working in this field can be challenging at times in my personal life, though I try to create strong boundaries between work and home. I am fortunate that, under normal, non-COVID, circumstances that I can leave my work at the office and not take work home with me. What is a challenge, though, is that even though the paperwork and emails stay at the office, the thoughts about a particular case or the horrors of a crime that have been told to me by a victim do not always stay at the office. Thinking about a case after work hours doesn’t always interrupt my personal life, I generally have a long commute from work to home which allows me the time to process a difficult case. I am also fortunate to have amazing co-workers who I can debrief with after a particularly difficult case. Working in the criminal justice field has also opened my eyes to all the horrors that lurk out in the world and it sometimes makes it difficult to not think of all of the worst case scenarios when I am out with friends or family trying to live my life.
6. What is something that people interested in working in this field should be aware of?
Someone who is interested in victim advocacy should be very aware about vicarious trauma. This particular trauma can impact a person at any time from any given case. It is difficult to leave everything at the office, as I stated before, and sometimes certain things from extremely difficult cases tend to stick with you. I think it’s important to note that while there is a great chance for experiencing vicarious trauma after a case, it should not scare anyone away from the job. The role of a victim advocate is so important but the advocate should always be aware of their own health and well-being in order to give the best service they can.
7. What is a college course that all professionals working in this field should be recommended to take?
For someone working in the criminal justice field, I think it’s important for everyone to have taken a course in criminal justice ethics. Ethics courses are extremely important reminders about the difficulties navigating this field as not only a professional, but as a human. Ethics plays a role in all positions within every job out there, so by understanding ethical boundaries and recognizing what they are is extremely important. 8. What criminal cases do you have a particular interest in learning more about? They can be well known cases past or present, or not so well known ones.
When studying criminal justice, I find the most interesting cases to be those of battered women. Women who have been in a domestic violence relationship and eventually kill or injure their abuser are fascinating because the level of violence that these women have experienced is often overlooked or not taken seriously.
Thank you to Joyce for taking the time to share her experiences and thoughts. Also, a huge shout out to her for the great and challenging work she does as a victim advocate. Best of luck to you in your studies and future!
[Photo credit: lawnforcementvictimadvocate site]