Victims Still

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Robert Elias’ book, “Victims Still”, presents a very controversial stance that the victims’ movement is, perhaps, not at all. Elias suggests that all the programs, laws, and institutions that have been created in the 1980s and 1990s have done absolutely nothing to help the victim. Elias also offers explanations as to how the victims’ movement doesn’t help victims, what the real causes of crime are, and how crime should be controlled.

The victims’ movement that sprung up during the 1980s and early 1990s seemed to be a step in the right direction for helping the victims instead of the offenders. However, as pointed in “Victims Still”, this movement did not and has not helped the victim. The victim movement consisted of new legislation, institutions, and programs designed to help the victim. But when scrutinizing the policies, one the notices that many of the policies are deceiving. Rights that are supposedly being given to the victim are just rights that have been taken away from offenders only to strengthen the rights of the officials.

Many of the programs designed to help victims are selective when it comes to which victims it will help. For example, there are some rehabilitation programs for drug users that refuse to take in pregnant women. However, when they have a child that is born hooked on drugs, they will be arrested for child abuse. The selectiveness of the programs leads to the policies that, in essence, do not work. The selectiveness of the programs ties in with why the crime is out of control. According to Elias, social inequality, economic inequality, sexism, and racism are reasons why crimes are still being committed. In order to stop crimes from happening, everyone needs to fell equal to one another. Hate crimes are common against women and minorities. However, if all people thought that no one was better than anyone else was, crime, such as hate crimes, would decrease dramatically...
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