Survivors (not victims) of crime share struggles at special forum

Black Press reporter Rochelle Baker writes of a recent public forum in Chilliwack (Canada) marking National Victims of Crime Awareness Week. The session featured a variety of presentations, including Jean Cusworth whose 19-year-old daughter Jennifer was murdered Oct. 16, 1993 and the case remains unsolved.

Although she doesn’t know if the offender ever read the letters, and they were painful to write, some good came out of them.

They brought other estranged families together, and on one occasion police read them to a offender who then confessed to the murder of a 16-year-old girl and led investigators to the body.

Cusworth said survivors of crime need to be their own advocates.

As the result of active involvement in their daughter’s case, the Cusworths went onto work with the RCMP to provide a victim/survivor perspective to their work and to assist other victims of crime.

While reading her letters, when the grief overwhelmed her, Cusworth had panelist Glenn Fleet continue reading them for her.

Flett, is an offender who spent 25 years behind bars after shooting a manager to death during a robbery at Hudson’s Bay in Toronto.

In 1982 he became a Christian and began to work with other offenders while in jail.
Committed to the concept of restorative justice with it’s goals of empowering both victims, rehabilitating offenders and a safer community, Flett went on to found LINC, Long-Term Inmates Now in the Community.

Flett said it’s important for survivors and offenders to work together because homicide impacts the whole community.

“LINC wasn’t created just for prisoners, but to connect people. I really believe offenders like myself want to be included and want to change given the opportunity. I’m not unique, but I was given unique opportunities.”