Published: December, 2012| Rhonda Martinson

Violent criminals routinely escape justice by intimidating witnesses to their crimes, which has resulted in justice system professionals, community leaders, and researchers declaring witness intimidation a national concern and a challenge to administering justice. Intimidation crimes range from crude to complex and when successful, escape the purview of the justice system, and allow criminal behavior to continue unchecked. The pervasive nature of these crimes is devastating to victims and community confidence in the justice system's ability to keep victims safe and hold offenders accountable. This presentation discusses the ways batterers intimidate and control victims; victim behaviors that are attempts to cope with their battering; effective investigation and documentation of intimidation and intimidation crimes, charging and trying the intimidator and strategies to hold these offenders accountable.

Improving the Justice System Response to Witness Intimidation
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