Conflicting Clocks: Comparing Temporality in Closure for Victims and Closure of Criminal Justice Cases

• In Event: 477 - Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 06. Procedures and Justice 1

Abstract

The homicidally bereaved, or those who have lost loved ones to murder, are suddenly thrust into close interaction and dependence on the criminal justice system. A murder brings to bear the full weight of the justice system. The goals and motives of institutional justice may not serve the needs of the bereaved thereby complicating and exacerbating the mourning process. This paper will examine how narratives and milestones differ between the bereaved and the criminal justice system. This qualitative study will scrutinize the experiential time frames of each group and procedural tempos as well as the pace of the grief process itself to determine if closure becomes more or less attainable through interaction with the justice system.

Author

• Christiana Mercier, San Diego State University