Define victim
Individual who experiences loss injury or hardships for any reason
Define primary and secondary victim
Primary- experiences the criminal act and its consequences first hand
Secondary- Family and love ones and those who might suffer emotional or financially but not directly involved (Ex: caregivers and first responders)
Define crime victim
Victims (experience loss/harm) as a result of an illegal act
Define victimization
And interpersonal relationship that causes injury or harm to a person or group
Define victimology
Scientific study of physical emotional and financial harm people suffer because illegal activities
How victims are handled by criminal justice agencies/officials
Subjective approach
(Victimology uses this)
Issues or approach from a standpoint of morality, ethics, philosophy, personalized reactions, and emotions
Objective approach
(Desired approach)
(Crim justice approach)
Requires observer to be fair, open minded, even handed, dispassionate, neutral, and unbiased
Name the three types of bias
Personal experience- The form of individual preferences and prejudices
History of discipline- Pioneers in the study of victimology first introduce the concept of victim blaming (today most people are pro victim)
The surroundings and social environment of observer- EX: 60-70’s demand for govt to fix victims problems
Define victimism
A widely held outlook of people who share a sense of common victimhood
Define victimology and criminology
Identify similarities and differences
Victimology- an area of specialization within criminology
Criminology- Scientific study of crimes, criminals, criminal law, and the justice system, societal reaction, and crime victims
Similarities-
Both Study how the criminal justice system actually works instead of how it is suppose to work
Differences-
- Victimology focuses on victim, crim focuses on offender.
- Crim Make crime prevention strategies
- Victimology makes victimization prevention/risk reduction
- crim has clear cut boundaries victimology does not
What are the division within the discipline?
Conservative influence (just desserts)- everyone to be held accountable for their decisions/actions (strict punishment on behalf of victims)
Liberal influence- makes criminals repay their victim, extend beyond st crime, govt intervention, “safety net” mechanism
Radical/critical/conflict influence- societal factors as reason behind crime (victimization is a result of oppressive social system)
What’s the history of victim (victims role)
- After the American Revolution and the adoption of the constitution and the bill of rights crimes were re-conceptualized as hostile acts directed against the authority of the government
- after the American revolution, the power and responsibilities formerly exercised by crime victims were taken over by public prosecutors
Rediscovery of victims
Wats the law and order movement? What effect did it have?
- trying to get a lawful order passed
- raised concerns about the unfortunate situation/harm of the victims of street crimes of violence and theft
Crime control model
A model of criminal justice that places primary emphasis on the rights of society to be protected from crime and violent offenders
What are he outcomes for law and order movement and women’s right movement?
Law and order- “get tough on criminals” focused on victims, lock up criminals quickly and for a longer time
Women’s- active in anti rape and anti battering campaigns, efforts to break down patriarchal culture
What’s Brady’s bill, amber alert, and Megan’s law?
Legislation named after victims
Brady’s bill- imposes restriction on gun purchases (background checks)
Amber alert- provides federal funding for amber alert system, authorities use media to describe kidnapping
Megan’s law- community residents are notified when sex offender lives near them
How the news portrays the victim’s harm w sheild laws?
-protect from needless and unnecessary disclosure of names, addresses, and previous victim involvement
Commercial interests
Selling products and services to victims
Businesses cash in on customers fear of becoming a victim
ex: pepper spray, home security system
What’s the process of rediscovery ?
1) calling attention to an overlooked problem
2) winning victories, implementing reforms
3) emergence of an opposition and development of resistance to further changes
4) research and temporary resolution of disputes
Define statistics and official statistics
Statistics- meaningful numbers that reveal important info
Official statistics- compiled and published by gov’t
How are statistics used?
Provides realistic assessment of a threat posed to individuals by criminal activity (victimization rate)
Reveals patterns on criminal activity: predictable relationships or regular occurrences
Reflect trends in criminal activity: how situations have changed as time goes by
Identify statistical portraits (profiles) of a typical victim
Profile a typical victim
Types of crime data?
UCR
UCR- FBI gathers data from PD and makes an annual report of crime stats
Hierarchy rule doesn’t change charges (highest crime u do sticks)
NIBRS
A program that collects data on each reported crime incident
Strengths- no hierarchy rule, goes much deeper bc of its ability to provide circumstances and context for crime
Weaknesses- only about a third of U.S Law enforcement agencies currently participate in NIBRS
NCVS (victim survey data)
Strengths/weaknesses (memory decay, sampling error, forward telescoping)
Set of data collected by Burea of justice statistics on surveys of victims in U.S
Strengths- Reveal of “dark figure of crime”, detailed info on victims and crimes, historical trend, cross checking the validity of the UCR
Weakness-
Sampling error: when samples are used to represent population there always is the possibility of a discrepancy between sample estimates of behavior and the actual amount of behavior
Memory decay: people might have difficulty recalling when or how many times an event occurred
Forwards telescoping: interviews might remember a crime of interest as occurring more recently than it did because the event remains vivid in their memories
