Appendix A: Victim Response Scenarios

"The break-in was bad enough, but what really bugs me is that my heirloom jewelry that Grandma left me in her will was taken. That can never be replaced!"

"Ever since that 14-year-old beat me up, I'm scared of teenagers in general. And they're everywhere in my neighborhood!"

"Maybe I was wrong to ask him up for a drink. Maybe I did deserve to be raped!"

"He only beats me when I do something wrong."

"Maybe when I was a young mother, I didn't do as good a job as I should have. That's probably why my son would steal from an old woman."

"I am afraid to be in my own home since the assault. And I don't know where to go..."

"That cop who showed up was really mean to me! He askedme a bunch of questions that made me feel like I was to blame for the burglary!"

"Ever since the assault, it's really hard for me to concentrate on anything. I'm not sleeping very well, and I'm really anxious all the time..."

"When am I going to get my restitution? The judge ordered it, and that !%#!!*! should pay me now!"

"I had a lot of family problems before I was beaten, and now they just seem to be worse. My family sure isn't the source of support I need!"

"What's wrong with me? I'm feeling really angry since he raped me, and sometimes I think about killing myself."

"That victim compensation form is a pain in the ___ to fill out! I have trouble understanding all the words, and it's hard for me to find all the documents they are asking for."

"What's gonna' happen with my case? Will I have to face my attacker in court? I'm really scared!"

(Five-year-old sexual assault victim) "Will the bad man be there in court when I tell what happened?"

"The media keep referring to my son's murder as an `accident.' There is nothing `accidental' about what that drunk driver did to my only child!"

"Maybe if I hadn't let my daughter go to the game, she'd be alive today."

"I'm just fine. Really, things are great, couldn't be better. I gotta' go -- that six pack of beer isn't getting any colder!"

"My doctor gave me Valium, and when I take it is about the only time I feel okay."

"I want to be notified about everything! If that son of a !!#@#!!! sneezes, I want to hear about it!"

"I really need you to tell me what to do. You know a lot more about this stuff than I do!"

"You are so nice to me! Since I'm having so much trouble after my attack, it would be really helpful if you just moved into my spare bedroom until I get better....."

"He told me if I called the police, he would kill me! What if he gets out of jail? I'll be a dead man!"

"How could they give him probation??? He almost killed my kid!"

"My son is afraid to go to school. Even though the kid who beat him up has been expelled, that little delinquent's gang is still there!"