Annie Comes Home: These crime survivors don’t want more prison

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

These crime survivors don’t want more prison

"A lot of people try to tell stories on behalf of crime survivors, but they miss the point," says Alexia Pitter.

"They assume that prison will somehow bring us peace, that punishment equals healing. But it doesn't. Healing isn't found in someone else's suffering."

Pitter speaks from experience as a justice reform advocate and a crime survivor herself.

After being assaulted at school, she decided not to press charges. Despite being urged to do so by police, Pitter thought of her father and the harm his time in prison caused their family. "I knew what my dad was living through every single day behind those walls. [ . . .] And despite everything, I couldn't wish that on anyone, not even them."

'I didn't want revenge. I wanted restoration.' - Alexia Pitter. Survivors speak out →

Pamela, legislators often use crime survivors to justify extreme sentences and other harsh criminal justice practices. Yet, many people who have experienced harm at the hands of others oppose these harsh practices and support restorative justice and second chances.

People like Shaneva McReynolds, who lost her first husband to gun violence.

"Crime survivors are weaponized on both ends of the justice system," she says. "The courts feel like they are doing something for us with punitive sentencing, and lawmakers think we don't want change."

Now the president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), McReynolds is championing a different approach—one based on a belief in the human capacity for change and rehabilitation. "People who commit crimes are human beings and are able to grow and change like all of us."

We can support survivors of crime while pursuing justice reform. This work starts with listening to the stories of survivors themselves. Take a moment to read the testimony of justice advocates and survivors who are leading the movement for change.

In community,
Vera Institute of Justice