The Power of Words to Acknowledge the Truth

Dr. Judith Herman conducted 22 in-depth interviews of victims of violent crimes and published her findings in a paper titled Justice from the Victims' Perspective. She found that what victims want is not revenge. What they want is validation from those closest to them, like family members, and from the community. They want the truth to be acknowledged not just by the perpetrator, but for bystanders to acknowledge the truth as well. Some choose to die rather than tell the truth.