By L. Hartmann

   I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I have for most of my life. I am convinced that crime is out of control simply because I am the victim of not one, but two separate incidents of violent and vicious crimes that have left me scarred, emotionally and physically damaged and empty.
   The first incident is one that happened over six years ago. I was leaving the shopping mall two nights before Christmas. I had bags and packages in my hands, and the security guard escorted me to my car because it was dark. He helped me load my packages in the trunk, waited for me to get in and lock my door. As I started to pull out of the parking lot, a man popped up from the back seat with a gun in his hand and told me to pull behind the empty strip mall. It was dark, and there were no overhead lights. He got out and came over to the passenger door, all the while with a gun pointed at my head. He got in and instructed me to perform oral intercourse on him or he would blow my head off. When he finished, he made a nasty comment, wished me a Merry Christmas and left. I drove like crazy to the Police Department, as fast as I could. They took me to the hospital where they examined me and collected what evidence they could.

Above: Victim Jennifer Carter was attacked by a perpetrator who hid in her back seat in Las Vegas—the second time she has been a victim of crime. The perpetrator received a guilty verdict, but plea bargained to six months. Is America soft on crime?

   After a few days, they called me to come and make another statement and to try to identify the perpetrator in a line up. I was able to pick him out within seconds after requesting them to repeat the last words I heard from him. When I heard his voice, I knew, without a doubt, which one was responsible for sexually assaulting me.
   I waited and waited, and finally, almost three months later, I received notice that there was a trial date set. The advocate prepared me for what was going to happen in the courtroom. I practiced speaking my testimony, word for word, in a slow, even voice, attempting to be specific, yet keeping it as short as possible.
   After the jury adjourned to deliberate this mans' fate, I waited in a little room with my husband. We waited for almost six hours before we were called back to the courtroom. It felt like every hair on my head, every nerve in my body, was tingling with poison as the jury filed in. They found him guilty.
   The jury found him guilty of Aggravated Assault, but instead of giving him a ticket straight to prison, he was offered a six month stay in a drug rehabilitation center in exchange for his testimony in another criminal case. Thats right; he got to skip prison time, receive counseling, and walked away after four months.
   Sadly, the victims of violent crime are suffering long after the physical damage is done. People get away with violent acts in plea bargain deals. There is no consequence for many criminals, therefore there is no effective way to prevent them. Yes, crime is out of control, and the system tends to favor the rights of the defendant far too often.
 

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