After murder and manslaughter: The lived experience of those left behind in the wake of tragedy

Background:

Historically, victims of crime have maintained a minor role in the Criminal Justice System, whose primary goal is to punish defendants for crimes committed (Englebrecht et al 2014). Family and friends of homicide victims have extended contact with the CJS and may experience grief and trauma in different ways from other types of crime victims (Green & Pomeroy 2007).

However, it's unclear in the literature what this group require or want from the CJS and whether the system can meet those needs (Sims 2006). What is well established is that homicide has detrimental and continually adverse effect across areas of life, including emotional, financial, physical, social, and spiritual (Connolly & Gordon 2015).

Although there is a recognition that family and friends are 'victims' or 'survivors' themselves, little research exists to understand the lived experience of traumatic bereavement, or the capability of the systems designed to support people in the wake of homicide (Metzger 2015). This is despite the overwhelming, multilevel effects and cost of homicide on individuals, families, communities, and society (Stern 2010). My study seeks to address these empirical and theoretical gaps.

Methodology:

The study will incorporate two forms of qualitative data. In-depth interviews will be conducted with families and individuals impacted by traumatic bereavement who are members of SAMM charity (Support After Murder and Manslaughter). By interviewing members of SAMM, access to participants that are not readily accessible to other researchers is achieved, due to the researchers experience of familial homicide and professional relationship with the charity, underlining the auto-ethnographic element of the thesis.

Interviews will also be sought with third-sector professionals and CJS staff who support those impacted by homicide. This work follows on from a Masters project, as a larger, cross comparative study at PhD level. The research is broken down into three aims:

1. Increase lived experience understanding of individuals bereaved by homicide, through in- depth interviews focusing on: a) The impact of the death (emotional, financial, social, physical, spiritual) b) Interactions with the Criminal Justice System c) Support offered and accessed over time

The study will collect sociodemographic data to start to draw comparisons and interview participants on at least two occasions.

2. Increase understanding of the experiences of professionals responsible for assisting and supporting people after homicide.

Research indicates that family and friends report negative experiences with the CJS and often feel misunderstood and unsupported, at multiple stages of the experience of traumatic bereavement.

3. Develop a handbook for professionals informed by the findings above, in collaboration with participants of the project and SAMM charity.

This ensures the data is translated into recommendations for change, with those impacted by homicide at the centre. Unstructured interviews with SAMM members, and semi structured interviews with professionals supporting those impacted by homicide will be utilised to collect meaningful data to inform this.

Approach:

The interview schedule for SAMM members will be designed with minimal prompts and questioning to reflect a narrative approach (Jovchelovitch & Bauer 2000). Participants will be sourced through SAMM charity on a voluntary basis. A semi-structured approach will be taken with third sector and CJS staff (i.e. Family and Victim Liaison Officers).

An interpretive phenomenological backdrop will allow for a detailed analysis of personal accounts, followed by presenting and discussing the key empirical themes. This is then paired with the researcher's own interpretation, which is the use of double hermeneutics in practice.