Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology Seventh Edition

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Crime Victims An Introduction to
VictimologySeventh Edition

• By Andrew Karmen
• Chapter One What is Victimology?

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VICTIMOLOGY

• Scientific study of physical, emotional, and
  financial harm people suffer because of illegal
  activities.
• Included in this definition is the victimization
  occurring for victims within the criminal justice
  system.

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VICTIMOLOGY

• VictimsIndividuals who experience loss, injury,
  or hardship for any reason
• Crime VictimsAbove as result of an illegal act
• Direct/Primary VictimsExperience criminal act
  and its consequences first-hand
• Indirect/Secondary VictimsFamily and those who
  suffer emotionally or financially but are not
  immediately involved. Can also include
  care-givers and first responders

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Studying Victimization Scientifically

• Subjective Approach
• Issues are approached from standpoint of
  morality, ethics, philosophy, personalized
  reactions, and emotions
• Objective Approach
• Requires observer to be fair, open-minded,
  even-handed, dispassionate, neutral, and unbiased

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Studying of Victimization Scientifically

• Why should victimologists NOT be pro-victim?
• Ideal Victim person who suffered harm was
  weaker than aggressor, acting virtuously or not
  looking for trouble or breaking any laws, and
  wrongdoer was a stranger acting illegally and was
  unprovoked

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Victims or Offenders?

• Who is the victim and who is the offender?
• Not always clear cutconsider the following
• Subway Vigilante
• Menendez Brothers

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Criminals as Victims

• Victims not always innocent
• Examples
• Gang members attacking another gang
• Drug dealer ripping off a customer
• A john robbing a prostitute (or vice-versa)

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Cycle of Violence

• Cycle of violence over time can transform
  victim(s) into victimizer(s)
• Group of picked on students may gang up against
  the bully
• Battered wife may launch a vengeful attack
  against husband
• Convicts much more likely to have been abused
  physically or sexually as children

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Victims vs. Good Guys

• Victimologists do not limit their studies to
  clashes between victims and offenders
• They also consider the social reaction to
  victimization
• Victims are often used by other parties
• Media sensationalizes some cases
• Organizations with an agenda might use a victims
  plight for publicity, fund raising, etc.

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Victimologys Undeserved Bad Reputation

• Victimology during the 90s and into the twentieth
  century has become a dirty word to many people
• Do not confuse victimism with victimology
• Victimology is often misused, when the author
  intends to describe victimism. The next slide
  is an example of mis-using the word victimology

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Victimologys Undeserved Bad Reputation

• (Leo, 1994) a news magazine commentator
  complained, We are deep into the era of the
  abuse excuse. The doctrine of victimologyclaimin
  g victim status means you are not responsible for
  your actionsis beginning to warp the legal
  system.

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Victimologys Undeserved Bad Reputation

• Victimology is a new academic discipline that
  only means the study of victims.
• It is focused on the research about people harmed
  by criminals
• It does not impose a partisan point of view or a
  set or predictably biased conclusions
• The ideology of victimism is a coherent,
  integrated set of beliefs that shapes
  interpretations and leads to political action

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Victimologys Undeserved Bad Reputation

• Victimological research must tell the whole truth
  regardless of who is disappointed or insulted
• Three types of biases undermine the ability of
  any social scientist to achieve objectivity. They
  include

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Three Types of Bias

• 1. May arise from personal experience, taking
  the form of individual preferences and prejudices
• 2. Derives from the history of the discipline
  itself
• Pioneers in the study of victimology first
  introduced the concept of victim-blaming
• Today, majority of victimologists are pro-victim

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Three Types of Bias

• 3. A subtle bias traced back to the mood of the
  times
• 60s-70s a demand for government to devise ways
  to help victims get back on their feet
  financially, medically, and emotionally
• 80s a theme of self-reliance and a reduction in
  government social spending and tax cutting gained
  popularity

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The Origins of Victimology

• Box 1.3, Page 17, provides highlights in the
  brief history of Victimology and Victim
  Assistance
• Significant gains in the United States when the
  Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement and the
  Administration of Justice urged criminologists to
  pay more attention to victims

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Milestones in Victimology

• By the 1970s victimology became a recognized
  field of study
• By 1990, 240 colleges and universities offered
  courses in victimology
• Most states passed crime victim rights amendments
  to their state constitution
• 2004Congress enacts the Crime Victims Rights
  Act which provides for fair treatment and
  opportunities for input in federal court
  proceedings

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Victimology vs. Criminology

• Victimology is best viewed as an area of
  specialization within criminology
• Criminology embraces the scientific study of
  crimes, criminals, criminal laws and the justice
  system, societal reactions, and crime victims

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Victimology vs. Criminology

• Victimologists ask why some individuals,
  households, and entities are targeted while
  others are not
• Criminologists ask why certain individuals become
  involved in lawbreaking while others do not

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Victimology vs. Criminology

• Criminologists apply their findings to devise
  crime prevention strategies
• Victimologists use patterns and trends to develop
  victimization prevention strategies and
  risk-reduction tactics
• Both criminologists and victimologists study how
  the criminal justice system actually works versus
  how it is supposed to work

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Victimology vs.. Criminology

• Boundaries
• Boundaries are clear cut for Criminology
• Boundaries for Victimology still unclear
• Overlap due to lack of boundaries
• Crime rates vs. victimization rates

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Divisions Within The Discipline

• Conservative Influence
• Focuses primarily on street crimes
• Everyone to be held accountable for their
  decisions and actions
• Emphasis on self reliance, NOT government
• Individual responsibility for preventing,
  avoiding, resisting and recovering from criminal
  acts
• Strictly punish offenders on behalf of their
  victims

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Divisions Within The Discipline

• Liberal Influence
• Scope of field to extend beyond street crimes
• Endorse government intervention
• Extend safety net mechanisms for all kinds of
  misfortunes
• Look to wrongdoers repaying their victims to
  allow for reconciliation

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Divisions Within The Discipline

• Radical/Critical/Conflict Influence
• Victimization is a result of oppressive social
  system
• Looks toward societal factors such as poverty,
  unemployment, language barriers, etc as
  explanations behind crime

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What Victimologists Do

• Victimologists explore the interactions between
  victims and offenders, victims and the criminal
  justice system, and victims and society
• Victimologists study the ways in which crime
  victims are harmed, including physical injury,
  psychological trauma, and financial loss.

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What Victimologists Do
Four step process victimologists follow when
carrying out their research

• Step 1 Identify, Define, and Describe the
  Problem
• Step 2 Measure the True Dimensions of the
  Problem
• Step 3 Observe How Victims Are Handled
• Step 4 Gather Evidence to Test Hypotheses

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Chapter One Key Terms
Victim Victimization Victimology Direct/Primary Victims
Survivors Indirect/ Secondary Victims Subjective Approach Objectivity
Sensationalism Victimism Ideology Criminology
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Crime Control Just Deserts Operationalization
Muggability Ratings Stockholm Syndrome Incidence Rates Prevalence Rates
Lifetime Likelihoods Profile Needs Assessment Ideal Type
Plea Negotiations