Beyond Innocence
Our media, our culture, and even some of our statutes continually reinforce the idea that in order to be deserving of care, a victim of crime has to be innocent. This idea of “innocence” excludes a wide range of people from services and limits the options and resources available to people who survive serious harm. But the pervasiveness of this framing does not reflect the thinking of victim service providers, many of whom understand deeply the ways this narrative can be harmful to the victims they serve and to their ability to provide services effectively. In this series, they explore the limitations posed by existing frameworks and point to ways forward that better uphold the values of equity, public safety, and human dignity.