Benjamin Andreozzi, attorney for victim #4 in Sandusky trial from WGAL Interview
Benjamin Andreozzi, the lawyer for Victim No. 4 who was the first victim to testify in the Jerry Sandusky trial that dealt with molestation of boys at Penn State, has in a tv news interview criticized Penn State and the NCAA for going ahead with sanctions against the college without ever consulting the actual victims.
In an interview with WGAL News, Andreozzi says:
"The victims were not Penn State. The victims were not the NCAA. The victims were those young men who testified in the courtroom and I think NCAA and Penn State owed it to them to at least consult with them before rendering a decision."
The victims were not Penn State. The victims were not the NCAA. The victims were those young men who testified in the courtroom.
He noted that his client actually loved Penn State football and he added:
"I think you at least owe it to these young men to hear what their positions are regarding [Joe] Paterno and the statue, regarding whether Penn State should be sanctioned from participating in athletic events. Instead Penn State and the NCAA took it in their own hands to play the role of judge and jury in this case without hearing from what could be construed as critical witnesses."
While this is not necessarily a plea for restorative justice per se, Andreozzi's statement is certainly in line with Nils Christie's critique, "Conflict as Property," in which Christie argued that the state steals crimes from people and the community. Restorative justice advocates have used this notion to argue for including victims in restorative justice processes.
(Thanks to Jaime Jarosz for the tip and relating Andreozzi's comments victims' needs to restorative justice.)
