Interactional justice, coping and the legal system

Abstract

Secondary victimization refers to re-victimization by society, including the response of the criminal justice system. One form of secondary victimization is interactional injustice. The concept of interactional justice posits that people are concerned about their treatment by others during conflict resolution procedures. Proper treatment by legal authorities refers to receiving adequate information about the procedure (known as informational justice) and being treated in a respectful and dignified manner (known as interpersonal justice). One’s ability to cope with the crime may also be influenced by the criminal justice system. Particularly for vulnerable victims, there appears to be a special need for proper treatment and attention to the victim’s ability to cope. Female victims of violence, namely sexual and domestic violence, are one example of vulnerable victims. This victimization often consists of immensely violating and sometimes chronic repeated behaviour. The perceptions of interpersonal justice, informational justice and the procedure’s effect on the victim’s ability to cope for three categories of victims (domestic violence victims, victims of sexual abuse and victims of other serious crimes) in the Netherlands are compared. Multiple regression analyses indicate that there are in fact differences between groups. Victims of sexual assault perceived interpersonal justice as significantly lower than did victims of other serious crimes. The procedural effect on one’s ability to cope was experienced to the least extent by victims of domestic violence. Informational justice did not differ among groups.