1. Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology Seventh Edition
By Andrew Karmen
Chapter One: What is Victimology?

2. 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.

3. VICTIMOLOGY
Victims—Individuals who experience loss, injury, or hardship for any reason
Crime Victims—Above as result of an illegal act
Direct/Primary Victims—Experience criminal act and its consequences first-hand
Indirect/Secondary Victims—Family and those who suffer emotionally or financially but are not immediately involved. Can also include care-givers and first responders

4. 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

5. 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

6. Victims or Offenders? Who is the victim and who is the offender?
Not always clear cut—consider the following:
Subway Vigilante
Menendez Brothers

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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 victim’s plight for publicity, fund raising, etc.

10. Victimology’s 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”

11. Victimology’s Undeserved “Bad Reputation”
(Leo, 1994) a news magazine commentator complained, “We are deep into the era of the abuse excuse. The doctrine of victimology—claiming victim status means you are not responsible for your actions—is beginning to warp the legal system.”

12. Victimology’s 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

13. Victimology’s 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:

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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 President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice urged criminologists to pay more attention to victims

17. 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
2004—Congress enacts the Crime Victims’ Rights Act which provides for fair treatment and opportunities for input in federal court proceedings

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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

27. 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
Lifetime
Likelihoods
Profile
Needs Assessment
Ideal Type
Plea Negotiations