Participation in the criminal legal system following severe acts of community violence: What do victims, witnesses, and professionals think should improve?

Abstract

According to national data, law enforcement solved fewer than half of all violent crimes that came to their attention in 2023. Although there are no national data on court outcomes in violent crime cases, these statistics would likely equally demonstrate the criminal legal system’s (CLS) limited ability to address violent crime. One known barrier to successful CLS outcomes in violent crime cases is a lack of participation in the CLS by victims and witnesses (V/Ws) of these crimes. This is especially true in crimes of severe community violence, which is the focus of this study. By speaking with recent V/Ws of severe community violence and CLS actors and community service provider professionals who work with V/Ws of severe community violence in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, we seek to understand the lack of V/W participation and to inform solutions for increasing and improving V/W CLS participation in the region. We identified several barriers and needs that can be addressed to promote CLS participation, including better resourcing CLS agencies to support and protect V/Ws by employing victim advocates, increasing safety protections, and by improving trust between residents and the CLS. In addition to increasing CLS participation by V/Ws of these crimes, these measures are likely to address the extensive amount of unresolved trauma we identified that has been caused by V/Ws experiencing these crimes without adequate services and support.