Victims and Victimology

1
Victims and Victimology

• Level of Victimization
• Profile of a Crime Victim
• Theories of Victimization
• Effects of Victimization

2
The Emergence of Victimology

• Until the 1960s, offenders were studied almost
  exclusively
• What changed?
• From the Liberal Perspective
• Feminist Movement (rape, intimate violence)
• From the Conservative Perspective
• Law and Order concerns (Dirty Harry)
• The NCVS

3
Defining Crime Victims

• Focus almost exclusively on Street crimes
• NCVS
• Can we generalize what we know about street crime
  to white collar crime (e.g., Enron Victims)?

4
Profile of Victims

• Where do crimes tend to take place?
• Who tends to be victimized?
• Age, Race, Gender, Social Class
• Victim-Offender relationships
• NOTE THERE TEND TO BE EXCEPTIONS BASED ON TYPE
  OF CRIME

5
The General Where

• In U.S., West has highest violent and property
  crime rates, NE lowest
• Different from UCR (South higher in UCR, and
  Midwest lower)
• Urban, Suburban, Rural (property and violent)
• Certain neighborhoods
• Hot Spots

6
NCVS VIOLENT OFFESNES
7
What Demographic Characteristics are Related to
Victimization?

• Gender (Female less than male)
• However, rape and intimate violence exceptions
• Social Status
• Lower social status more likely to be victims,
  but...
• Age
• Younger more likely to be victimized
• Race/Ethnicity
• Blacks more likely to be victimized

8
Age and Violent Victimization
9
Gender and Violent Victimization
10
Age, Race, and Gender Homicide Victimization, 1997
11
Victim-Offender Relationships

• Crime tends to be intra-racial rather than
  inter-racial
• Myth of Black crimes against whites
• In violent crimes, the victim is at least well
  known to the offender in 40 of the cases.
• Much less often in property cases

12
Theories of Victimization

• Explain who gets victimized and/or why
• Lifestyle Theories/Routine Activities Theory
• Deviant Lifestyles (Equivalence Hypothesis)
• Physical Proximity
• Victim Precipitation

13
Lifestyle Theories

• To predict direct predatory crime
• Routine Activities Theory The convergence in
  time and space of
• Motivated Offenders
• Suitable Targets
• Lack of Capable Guardianship

14
Deviant Lifestyle

• The Equivalence Hypothesis
• Offenders and Victims are the same group of
  folks harming each other
• Chance of being murdered greater for youths who
  are members of gangs
• College students more vulnerable to victimization
  if they report smoking weed and threatening others

15
Physical Proximity

• Live in or near a high crime area
• Independent of lifestyle

16
Victim Precipitation?

• Active (e.g., take the first swing) vs. Passive
• Wolfgang homicide study
• Rape?
• Difference between empirical documentation and
  normative statements
• Empirical facts do not excuse or justify

17
Immediate Problems of Crime Victims

• Financial Loss
• Property
• Wages
• Medical Expenses
• Physical and Emotional Pain
• Depression, PTSS
• Double Victimization

18
Latest Victim Oriented Movement Restorative
Justice

• Basic Principles of RJ
• The Purpose of the Criminal Justice System should
  be restoration
• The Victim and the Community Should be Involved
  in the Process
• Crime control lies in community, not CJS
• Crime is an act against person/community
• Punishment alone is ineffective
• Other ways to hold accountable

19
Restorative Justice in Practice

• Victim Offender Mediation
• Family Group Conferencing
• Peacemaking/Sentencing Circles
• Reparative Community Boards
• Restitution Programs

20
Restorative Justice Reasons to be Skeptical?

• How badly does the community want to
  participate?
• How badly to victims want to participate?
• Is retribution always a bad thing?
• Can all victims be restored?