The law is not morality!
When we are talking intimate, social crimes this is one of the hardest things for survivors to understand.
A court of law works on principles of justice in terms of the law, not morality. Due to this it is manipulated by the very system that drives it. It is full of loopholes and mechanisms to escape the legal implications of immoral actions.
In truth, because the law is devoid of emotion, the damages done emotionally to survivors in courts of law are astounding and often morally reprehensible.
Often the justice survivors seek is justice based on morality, emotional loss and deep personal injury.
The two are not the same.
You will have a very hard time finding moral justice in a court of law.
It simply is what it is
Court rooms are NOT emotionally safe spaces for anyone, especially for survivors. They are, in fact, triggering and cause secondary traumatisation simply due to the nature of the process.
Survivors who push through to judgment and/or sentencing are some of the strongest individuals you will ever meet.
That being said, attorneys that abuse the system to systemically intimidate, terrorism and destroy survivors need to be reigned in.
Despite the fact that the law is not morality, purposefully destroying survivors is unethical and unacceptable.
I recall sitting in an attorney's office some years ago while he explained to me that protection orders were used as bargaining chips for divorce settlements all the time. When I suggested that endangering survivors lives by using a system designed to protect them, for vexatious litigation when no danger is present,was killing people, he was surprised and confused. Even more so when I suggested that it was increasing the problem and akin to being complicit in abusing survivors.
So, the bottom line is this - if you are currently in court fighting your case make sure you have a strong support system in place and take the time to address your secondary traumatisation and mental health stressors as the case continues. Debrief and offload.
If you need this kind of assistance: https://bit.ly/GetOptiMysedHelp