Beneath the Law: The Plight of Crime Victims in the American Criminal Justice System

In the time that has passed since the murder of our son, I have met and talked to many others that have lost a loved one to murder and I can say without hesitation their only hope and interest has become receiving justice on the loved one's behalf. These victim survivors are not vigilantes, nor are they obsessed with revenge. They continue to be decent law-abiding citizens who now are forced to deal with their grief and emotions on a day-to-day basis. They see because of attending the many criminal proceedings and experiencing firsthand the criminal justice system in America all they are truly interested in is that if the person accused of the murder of their loved one is proved beyond a reasonable doubt to be guilty of the crime, they simply want and may expect that the guilty person or persons receive the punishment the law says they must receive. When this happens, then, and only then will they not be "Beneath the Law," but equal to the law and justice served.