James Babanikos, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Telecommunication professor, was quoted in “The Better Way to Support Rape Victims: Put Their Needs First” published in The Guardian on March 13.

The article focuses on Gretchen Casey, now a victim services advocate at the state attorney’s office in Gainesville, Florida, and the mental repercussions she has dealt with since being raped in college. The article highlights restorative justice as a better approach to dealing with sexual violence. This practice can include bringing the accuser and the accused together in a dialogue to discuss the impact of a crime and settle on a plan to make amends.

After grappling with the emotional aftershocks of failing to achieve the victim-offender dialogue she desired, Casey turned her story into a screenplay and contacted Babanikos to make it into a film.

The resulting film, “Somewhere Beyond,” premiered in 2009, and, when it did, Babanikos noticed a change come over Casey: “I could almost feel her sigh of relief at this chapter of her life finally being over.”

Posted: March 13, 2018
Category: College News
Tagged as: James Babanikos, Somewhere Beyond, The Guardian