Victimization Theories - Criminology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminal Justice

Download Victimization Theories - Criminology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminal Justice in PDF only on Docsity! Victimization Theories 1. Victim Precipitation 2. Life Style 3. RAT Docsity.com “Crime Victim” • The term "crime victim" generally refers to any person or group who has suffered injury or loss due to illegal activity • The harm can be physical, psychological, or economic Docsity.com Benjamin Mendelsohn (1956) • Father of victimology – coined term victimology • Discovered strong relationship between victimization and social setting • Classification based on legal considerations of the degree of the victim’s blame – 1. completely innocent (being in the wrong place at the wrong time) – 2. victims with minor guilt/due to ignorance – 3. victim as guilty as offender/voluntary victim Docsity.com Victim Precipitation • The degree to which victim is responsible for own victimization • Wolfgang (1958): first to empirically investigate victim precipitation • Investigated homicides in Philly from 1948-1952 – Common factors: 1. Often victim and offender know each other 2. Alcohol plays role 3. Incident often escalates from minor altercation to murder Docsity.com Victim Precipitation • 60% of cases where women killed their husbands as victim precipitated • 9% of incidents where men killed their wives as victim precipitated Docsity.com Victim Precipitation and Homicide • 2. The offender interprets the victim’s words and deeds as offensive • 3. The offender makes the opening to “pay back” the victim for the previous insult • 4. The eventual victim “stands up” to the offender’s opening, responding with increased hostility Docsity.com Victim Precipitation and Homicide • 5. Commitment to battles ensues, the victim is left dead or dying (35% of offenders carry gun or knives, and nearly 65% leave the crime scene to obtain weapons) Docsity.com Amir’s analysis or rape • Police records on rape incidents in Philly from 1958- 1960 • 19% of all forcible rapes were victim-precipitated • Factors: alcohol, seductive actions by victim, wearing revealing clothing, using risque language, bad reputation • Offender’s interpretation of actions is what is important – not what victim actually does Docsity.com Passive Precipitation • Occurs when the victim exhibits some personal characteristic that either threaten or encourages the attacker • Related to power • Group of immigrants arriving to the community and compete for job • Love interest, promotion Docsity.com Problems with Victim Precipitation • Assumption that behavior of victim can explain criminal act • Responsibility Placed on Victim • Creates Culturally Legitimate Victim • Excuses Offenders Behavior Docsity.com Victimology Today • Aim to search for the causes of victimization • Search for remedies or prevention • Concerned with: – How victims are defined – How definitions are applied – by victim by social scientists, by community – How victims react to experience – How society responds to victims – systems for dealing with victims Docsity.com Lifestyles Theory • Micro-level theory • Variations in lifestyle affect # situations with high victimization risks that an individual may experience – People associate with – Working outside of the home – Leisure activities • Someone who has drug dealer as friend more likely to be victimized than someone with prosocial friends Docsity.com Empirical Tests • General findings: homes that are well-guarded are less likely to be burglarized, people who stay out late and drink heavily are more likely to be crime victims • Schwartz and Pitts (1995): study of college women at Ohio University – Most likely to be victim: • Number of nights go out drinking (suitable target/absence of guardianship) • Whether have friends who get women drunk for purpose of having sex (motivated offender) • Experiencing uncomfortable advances in bar (suitable target, motivated offenders, absence of capable guardianship) Docsity.com Dangerous Times • Nighttime and weekends are the peak times for most violent crimes, property offenses, and public order violations • Darkness is a criminogenic condition (fewer people are around, higher rates of drug and alcohol use, greater anonymity) Docsity.com Victim profile in homicide and aggravated assault Homicide victims Male (76%) White (50%); African american(48%) 13-24 years old (32%) Same race of victim and offender (89%) Single and never married (54%) Urban resident (54%) Employed (56%) High risk occupations: 1. Taxicab driver and Chauffeurs 2. Police/Law enforcement officials 3. Hotel clerks 4. Garage & service station employee 5. Stock handlers and baggers Aggravated assault victims Male (68%) White (77%); African american(19%) 16-24 years (17 per 100,000) Never married (13 per 100,000) Divorced/Separated (13 per 100,000) Family income <$7,500 (20 per 1,000) Urban resident (11 per 1,000) One-Victim incident (90%) Victim tried to protect self (74%) Victim physically injured (25%) Average rate (7.5 per 100,000) Docsity.com Sociodemographic Characteristics of Offenders Overrepresented for Each Crime Type Crime Type Sex Age Race Social Class Prior Arrest? Offense Spontaneous Specialization Acts Murder & Assault Male < 25 African American Lower Class Yes No Yes Sexual Assault Male < 25 African Lower Yes Some Mixed Personal & Institutional Robbery Male < 25 African American Lower Class Yes No No Residential & Nonresidential Burglary Male < 25 African American Lower Class Yes No Mixed Motor Vehicle Theft Male < 21 African American Mixed Yes Some Mixed Occupational Crime Male > 25 White Lower, Middle Class No Some No Organizational Crime Male > 25 White Upper Class No Some No Public Order Crime Both < 25 African American Lower Class Yes Mixed Mixed Docsity.com Time and Place Elements of Crime Profiles Crime Type Night/Day Season Location Type of Area Murder Night Summer Victim's Home Low Income Aggravated Assault Night Summer Street Low Income Sexual Assault (Rape) Night Summer Victim s Home Low Income Personal Robbery Day Summer Early Fall Near Victim's Home. Business Low Income Institutional Robbery Night Summer Early Fall Business Central City Residential Burglary Day Summer Victim's Home Low Income Nonresidential Night Summer Business Low Income Burglary Motor Vehicle Theft Night Summer Near Victim's Home Central City Occupational Crime Don't Know Don't Know Work Don't Know Organizational Crime Don't Don't Know Work Don't Know Public Order Crime Night All Don't Know All Types Docsity.com Routine Activity Theory Capable Guardian 28, ee ® 2 x o a ae a Docsity.com A Suitable Target • The first condition for crime is that a suitable target must be available • There are three major categories of target: • a person • an object • a place Docsity.com Potential Targets • Four things make a target suitable to an offender and these use the acronym VIVA: • Value. The offenders value the target for what they gain or value the effect they have on it • For example, a burglary might occur because the burglar wants the stolen items or wants the money made from selling them • Offender might damage a bus stop, because he/she gets satisfaction (value) Docsity.com Likely Offenders • Gain/Need: poverty, to feed a drug habit, greed. • Society/Experience/Environment: living in a culture where crime is acceptable, because of peer pressure, coercion, lack of education, poor employment prospects, envy, as a rebellion against authority. • Beliefs: a belief that crime in general or particular crimes aren’t wrong, as a protest on a matter of principle, prejudice against certain minority/ethnic groups. Docsity.com The offender profile in burglary • Male (88%) • White (68%), African American (30%) • <25 years old (64%) • Prior arrest record (79%) • Prior felony arrest record (68%) • Little offense specialization Docsity.com The victim profile in household burglary Highest • <19 years old head of household • African American/Latino • Income<$15,000 • Urban resident • Renter • Six or more people in households • Resident for less than 6 months • Multifamily unit Lowest • 65 or older head of household • White/non-Latino • Income >$75,000 • Rural/Suburban • Owner • Live alone • Residents for more than 5years • Single-family unit Docsity.com Empirical Validity of RAT • Sherman (1989) “hot spots” study • He focused on “criminology of place” and used Minneapolis police “call data” • Most crime reports (calls) came from only 3% of all locations in the city • Those places attracted offenders (absence of guardians) Docsity.com Evaluation of RAT • RAT is not a theory of criminal behavior, it is a theory of criminal victimization • Theory does not explain why some persons are motivated to commit crime • Does not explain why informal/formal control exercised to prevent crime • It just assumes that informal/formal guardians are not present or able to prevent crime, then crime will occur • Theory of common sense (Akers, 2000) • Sit at home, watch television, decrease chance of being victimized Docsity.com Policy Implications • Situational Crime Prevention: stop crime by preventing the intersection in time and space of offenders and targets that lack guardianship • Make target less attractive and offenders will choose not to commit crime Docsity.com