Professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice and Security Cathryn Lavery, PhD, had an op-ed piece on the courage of Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors and the broader implications for how our criminal justice system treats victims published in The Hill.
The article underscores the systemic failures that allowed exploitation to persist, while also emphasizing the urgent need for reforms that protect, believe, and support survivors of trafficking and sexual violence. According to Lavery, when survivors of Epstein step forward, it’s not merely a personal act, but also a political one that challenges entrenched power, demanding accountability from institutions that too often silence or dismiss victims.
In The Hill piece, she also discusses how coverage on the courage of Epstein’s survivors needs to go beyond momentary headlines and be followed by real change.
This involves training law enforcement in trauma-informed practices; courtroom protections for survivors, such as shield law and confidential testimony; the providing of long-term resources, such as stable housing, mental health care and job training, so that lives may be rebuilt; and, finally, accountability of the system itself; that is, a willingness to confront those with power and wealth who finance trafficking and sexual violence.
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