Victims and Victimization - Criminology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminology

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He - 2s = ‘ ® docsity.com Problems of Crime Victims  Victimization costs include: damaged property, pain and suffering, and the involvement of police and other agencies of the justice system docsity.com Problems of Crime Victims • System Abuse  Callous handling of victims by police  Holding of personal property for evidence  Rape victims report feeling “re-raped”  Economic hardships due to trials docsity.com Problems of Crime Victims • Long Term Stress  Posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD)  Lowering of self-esteem  Increased risk of suicide  Eating disorders  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders  Victimization lead to some people feeling timid and cautious  Fear of a repeat attack  Suffer psychological stress for longer periods of time docsity.com Problems of Crime Victims • Antisocial Behavior  Victims are more likely to commit crimes themselves  Being abused increases the odds of one being arrested (cycle of violence)  Both males and females are affected by the cycle of violence docsity.com Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older 60 pee 50 40 30 20 10 0 | TV ew | rae | ea | a ee a | 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 — Total violent crime — Simple assault —— Aggravated assault — Robbery & — Rape docsity.com © 2006 Wadsworth - Thomson Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older 600 - — 400 300 200 100 Otel ett et te | 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 —— Total property crime — Theft —— Burglary —— Motor vehicle theft (© 2006 Wadsworth - Thomson docsity.com The Nature of Victimization • The social ecology of victimization  Violent crimes are more likely to occur in open public areas during daytime or early evening hours  Almost two-thirds of more serious crimes such as rape occur after 6 P.M.  Inner-city inhabitants have a greater chance of being victimized than suburbanites docsity.com Figure 3.4 Violent Crime Rates by Age of Victim docsity.com The Nature of Victimization • Social Status  Poor people are more likely to experience violent and property crime  The wealthy are more likely to be targets of personal theft crimes docsity.com The Nature of Victimization • Marital Status  Never-married people are more likely to be victimized than married people  Widows and widowers have the lowest victimization rate docsity.com Figure 3.5 Violent Crime Rates by Race of Victim docsity.com The Nature of Victimization • Repeat Victimization  Individuals who have been a crime victim have a significantly higher chance of future victimization  Characteristics which increase potential for victimization • Target vulnerability • Target gratifiability • Target antagonism docsity.com The Nature of Victimization • The Victims and Their Criminals  Males are more likely to be violently victimized by a stranger  Females are more likely to be victimized by a friend or intimate  Crime is intraracial: Blacks victimize Blacks and Whites victimize Whites  Substance abuse is involved in about one-third of violent crime incidents  Women are more likely to be both robbed and raped by known acquaintances docsity.com Theories of Victimization • Deviant Place Theory  Victim prone to victimization because one resides in a socially disorganized high-crime area  The more often victims visit dangerous places, the more likely they will be exposed to crime and violence  Deviant places include: poor densely populated areas, highly transient neighborhoods and commercial areas with residential property in close proximity  William Julius Wilson suggests White residents flee high-crime areas, leaving racial minorities behind to suffer high victimization rates docsity.com Theories of Victimization • Routine Activity Theory  Victimization results from the interaction of everyday factors • Availability of suitable targets • Absence of capable guardians • Presence of motivated offenders  People who live in “hot spots” elevate their chances of victimization  Some criminologists suggest moral guardianship might cause some people to refrain from crime if they are bonded with conventional attitudes (peer rejection)  Ronald Clarke contends the relationship among opportunity, routine activities, and environmental factors increases victimization potential docsity.com Motivated offenders * Teenage boys ¢ Unemployed ¢ Addict population & © 2008 wadevor- Tomson docsity.com Caring for the Victim • The Government’s Response  Task Force on Victim’s of Crime created in 1982 to provide recommendations for victim assistance  In 1984 The Comprehensive Crime Control Act and the Victims of Crime Act authorized federal funding for state victim compensation docsity.com Caring for the Victim • Victim Service Programs  An estimated 2,000 victim-witness assistance programs have been developed  Victim compensation: to pay for damages associated with crime ($100 to $15,000)  Court services: to help prepare victims and witnesses for court testimony  Public education: to familiarize the general public with primary prevention programs  Crisis intervention: Networks of social service agencies to provide emergency and long term assistance  Victim-offender reconciliation programs: use of mediators for face-to-face encounters between victims and perpetrators  Victim impact statements: allows victims the opportunity to describe their ordeal docsity.com Caring for the Victim • Victims’ Rights  Legal scholars have suggested crime victims have legal rights and society is obliged to ensure basic rights for law-abiding citizens  Thirty-three states have added victim’s rights amendments to their constitutions  A national Constitutional Amendment has been debated but has not yet passed Congress  In 2004, the Senate passed S.2329 a bill to provide rights to federal victims of crime, which does not change the Constitution docsity.com