When an abuser’s sentence ends, the victim’s life sentence begins

Published September 19, 2026 11:00am ET



Nearly every woman carries the fear of becoming a victim of a violent crime. She may not always say it, but every time she walks to the office, takes her children on an errand run, or double-checks the lock on her front door at night, there is an underlying calculation of what she needs to do to keep herself safe.

If the unthinkable does happen, and a woman becomes a survivor of a crime committed against her, what happens then?

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