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This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions. name is Annie Nichol, and I’m a writer and an advocate for survivor-centered justice and healing in public policy. If you were aware of the news in the 1990s, chances are, you remember the name of my sister, Polly Klaas. I was six when a stranger broke into our house and abducted Polly from our bedroom. She was 12.
And over the next few months, a nationwide search was conducted. The story of his abduction has become a national spectacle. Press crews camped outside our door for weeks. And his call was constantly on the front pages of newspapers. And it was discussed on the news systems each and every night. Sadly, the investigation ended with the discovery of his death. His killer was arrested and convicted, but that was just the beginning of sensationalism.
As I got older, I started realizing there were strange ways people were telling my sister’s story, in ways that made her kind of unrecognizable to me. And what I want people to understand about true crime is that this isn’t a benign form of entertainment. We all know people who consume true crime. There are plenty of people that I love and respect who do. But I think not enough people are aware of what it’s like for victims and survivors to have their stories exploited and commodified for entertainment.
Polly’s kidnapping coincided with this trend of true crime becoming an increasingly prominent part of mainstream media.
Who committed this crime? Why was this woman killed?
There are books and documentary series.
This is a case that has haunted public opinion for more than thirteen years.
— TV shows —
Why would two South Florida guys travel 500 miles to kill someone they don’t know?
It is one of the unsolved crimes in history.
– and dramatizations –
— that recount in very graphic detail the worst things that have ever happened to real people. And given how much true crime is driven by this insatiable demand for it, it’s important that we reckon with the harm that it causes.
And I’m acutely aware of how the media’s obsession with high-profile cases is used to justify the expansion of mass incarceration and how they can contribute to those broader injustices in our criminal justice formula, which in fact constitute the greatest evil of all. .
It’s been hard for me to feel a sense of justice in the decades since Polly’s death. Although her case was settled and the user guilty of her death was convicted, I grew up watching politicians weaponize my sister’s innocence and use her death to pass three-strikes laws, which have dramatically worsened our mass incarceration crisis over the past three decades.
And to me, it was as if, as genuine crime had become a dominant obsession, our legal formula had become more reactionary and more obsessed with punishment and fundamentally less just.
And that’s why we can’t talk about genuine crimes without thinking about the collateral consequences in our legal system, because one of the consequences of sensationalizing those high-profile cases is that the public’s belief about national crime rates really becomes particularly inflated, when crime rates have actually been declining for decades. We end up with those punitive policies created out of a distorted belief in a problem, rather than responding to the empirical truth of how harm occurs.
There have been many police productions and books about Polly over the years, but I was never asked for my consent from the other people who do those projects, who continue to profit from our trauma. But in recent years, some have contacted me to ask for my memories. And aside from the fact that those messages were invariably manipulative, they presented main points about the case I had tried to avoid in the service of my own healing.
And recently, I remember how angry and helpless I felt, awake at night, seeking to calm my nervousness and just wishing I could find a way to tell those other people that my memories of Polly are all I have left. It has not been exploited for public consumption. I was honestly surprised that they had the audacity to ask for something so personal and precious.
In fact, to dismantle cycles of harm, we want to magnify survivors’ narratives on their own terms. And we want to embrace the answers they’re proposing in their own communities. I work with a survivor-led organization called Crime Survivors for Safety. and Justice, and advocate for a shift in policy and protection solutions, such as the creation of trauma recovery centers in the most vulnerable communities and reintegration services, all of which are a critical component of public protection.
Through this work, I’ve learned that paying attention to survivors doesn’t deserve to be like watching a Marvel movie. It doesn’t deserve to be an adrenaline-fueled experience that gets your core racing. When you really pay conscientious attention to the Survivors, their core deserves to slow down. I believe this is the only way for us to move forward into new dimensions of justice and healing.
[PLAYING MUSIC]
transcription
This transcript was created using speech popularity software. Although it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the audio of the episode before quoting this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes. com if you have any questions. My call is Annie Nichol, I am an editor and advocate for survivor-centered justice and healing in public policy. If you were aware of the events of the 1990s, chances are you won’t forget the call from my sister, Polly Klaas. I was six years old when a stranger broke down. He entered our space and kidnapped Polly from our room. I was 12 years old.
And over the next few months, a nationwide search was conducted. The story of his abduction has become a national spectacle. Press crews camped outside our door for weeks. And his call was constantly on the front pages of newspapers. And it was discussed on the news systems each and every night. Sadly, the investigation ended with the discovery of his death. His killer was arrested and convicted, but that was just the beginning of sensationalism.
As I got older, I started realizing there were strange ways people were telling my sister’s story, in ways that made her kind of unrecognizable to me. And what I want people to understand about true crime is that this isn’t a benign form of entertainment. We all know people who consume true crime. There are plenty of people that I love and respect who do. But I think not enough people are aware of what it’s like for victims and survivors to have their stories exploited and commodified for entertainment.
Polly’s kidnapping coincided with this trend of real crime becoming a vital component of the mainstream media.
Who committed this crime? Why did they kill this woman?
There are books and documentary series.
This is a case that has haunted public opinion for more than thirteen years.
-TELEVISION-
Why would two South Florida guys travel 500 miles to kill someone they don’t know?
It’s one of the unsolved crimes in history.
— and dramatizations —
– which recounts in wonderful detail the worst things that have ever happened to genuine people. And given the degree to which genuine crime is driven by this insatiable demand, we take into account the harm it causes.
And I’m acutely aware of how the media’s obsessions with high profile cases are often used to justify the expansion of mass incarceration and how they can contribute to these broader injustices in our criminal legal system, which is certainly the greatest harm of all.
It’s been hard for me to feel a sense of justice in the decades since Polly’s death. Even though her case was settled and the user guilty of her death was convicted, I grew up watching politicians weaponize my sister’s innocence and use her death. pass three-fault laws, which have dramatically worsened our mass incarceration crisis over the past three decades.
And for me I felt that, as genuine crime had become a dominant obsession, our legal formula was becoming more reactionary and more obsessed with punishment and fundamentally less just.
And that’s why we can’t talk about genuine crimes without thinking about the collateral consequences in our legal system, because one of the consequences of sensationalizing those high-profile cases is that the public’s belief about national crime rates really becomes particularly inflated, when crime rates have actually been declining for decades. We end up with those punitive policies created out of a distorted belief in a problem, rather than responding to the empirical truth of how harm occurs.
There have been many police productions and books about Polly over the years, but I was never asked for my consent from the other people who do those projects, who continue to profit from our trauma. But in recent years, some have contacted me to ask for my memories. And aside from the fact that those messages were invariably manipulative, they presented main points about the case I had tried to avoid in the service of my own healing.
And recently, I remember how angry and helpless I felt, awake at night, seeking to calm my nervousness and just wishing I could find a way to tell those other people that my memories of Polly are all I have left. It has not been exploited for public consumption. I was honestly surprised that they had the audacity to ask for something so personal and precious.
To truly dismantle cycles of harm, we need to amplify survivor stories on their own terms. And we need to embrace the solutions that they’re pioneering in their own communities. I work with a survivor-led organization called Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, and they advocate for policy change and safety solutions, like establishing trauma recovery centers in the most vulnerable communities and reentry services, which are all an essential part of public safety.
Through this work, I’ve learned that paying attention to survivors doesn’t deserve to be like watching a Marvel movie. It doesn’t deserve to be an adrenaline-fueled experience that gets your core racing. When you really pay conscientious attention to the Survivors, their core deserves to slow down. I believe this is the only way for us to move forward into new dimensions of justice and healing.
[PLAYING MUSIC]
By Annie Nichol
Produced by Jillian Weinberger
In 1993, Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered at the age of 12. Following her death, Polly’s tragic story became a plotline in true crime podcasts, TV shows and books. In this audio essay, Polly’s sister Annie Nichol argues that the popularization of true crime not only re-traumatized victims’ families but also helped create demand for “tough on crime” legislation. “Our legal system actually became more reactionary and more fixated on punishment and fundamentally less just,” she says.
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This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. Edited by Kaari Pitkin, Alison Bruzek and Annie-Rose Strasser. Engineering via Isaac Jones with mixing via Pat McCusker. Original music by Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Done- consulting via Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy via Kristina Samulewski.
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