The language of harm: What the nassar victim impact statements reveal about abuse and accountability

Abstract

This Article examines 148 Victim Impact Statements that were delivered to the court in the Larry Nassar criminal sentencing. Larry Nassar was a doctor for the United States Gymnastics Association and an employee of Michigan State University who treated elite athletes, predominantly gymnasts. Nassar pleaded guilty to child pornography and first-degree criminal sexual misconduct charges in Michigan. His sentencing received worldwide attention as victims delivered impact statements describing the harm and betrayal of his conduct. Using corpus-based discourse analysis, this Article examines the complex strategies that the victims deployed to describe who Nassar was (a doctor, a monster, a friend), what he did (abuse, assault, pedophilia, "treatments"), and the harms that they suffered (pain, hurt, betrayal). It concludes by recommending more robust and holistic approaches to the naming and framing of sexual assault, more proactive policy uses of Victim Impact Statements in shaping systemic reforms, and greater law reforms to prevent systemic institutional sexual assault.