Lesson 3 – Crime Victims Robert Wonser Introduction to Criminology Crime and Delinquency 1

Defining Victims What is a crime victim ? Someone who suffers because of a crime People can be victimized without being victims of crime Corporations Civil liberties/human rights 2

Collective Victimization Neglected topic Mass victims of White-collar crime Violations of human rights 3

Who are Victims? 4 VictimsOffenders

Patterning of Victimization Geographical patterns Higher violent victimization in west and Midwest Higher property victimization in west 5

Social Patterns of Victimization Gender Males have higher levels of victimization Race/Ethnicity Native Americans—highest violent victimization rates African–Americans/Latinos have high rates of victimization Family income Lower income=higher victimization risk Age Young people=higher victimization risk Age/Race/Gender combined Young, African-American, males=higher victimization risk 6

Victim-Offender Relationship Strangers Account for 41% of all offenses 52% of male victims were victimized by strangers 27% of female victims were victimized by strangers Friends/Family/Acquaintances Account for 59% of offenses Most victims know the offenders 7

Intimate-Partner Violence (IPV) Majority of non-stranger violence is committed by friends and acquaintances Intimate partner (spouses, ex-spouses, and partners) violence Rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated/simple assault 8

Perceived Race/Gender/Age of Offenders Offender/Victim characteristics similar Whites account for majority of crimes African-Americans are disproportionately represented in crime statistics Males are predominant offenders 9

The Offender/Victimization Myth Crime is predominantly intraracial Offender/Victim are from same race Crime is not predominantly interracial Offender/Victim are from different races 10

Crime Characteristics Use of alcohol and drugs Offenders under influence of alcohol/drugs in almost half of all crimes Time and place of occurrence 43% of crime occurs at night (6:00pm-6:00am) Majority of violent crime occurs at/near the home Use of Weapons Weapons used in about 20% of all crimes Self-Protection and resistance 60% of victims try to stop the crime (threats, run away, or persuasion) 11

Explaining Victimization Situational Explanations Lifestyle and Routine Activities Theory Deviant Lifestyles Proximity 12

Victimization Theories Lifestyle and routine activities theory Most popular theories Based on individual Habits Behaviors Lifestyles 13

Lifestyle Theory Some lifestyles are more at risk for victimization Spending a lot of time in bars or nightclubs Spending time with criminals Increases victimization opportunity 14

Routine Activities Theory Victimization requires: Motivated offender Suitable target Lack of capable guardian 15

Deviant Lifestyles Criminals have a better chance of being victimized Spend time in high crime areas Retaliation Criminals cannot call police for help Drinking/Drug use 16

Physical Proximity and Victimization Areas with high crime rates also have high victimization rates 3-5% of all city locations account for roughly 50% of a city’s crime “Hotspots” Bars/Taverns 17

Repeat Victimization Those who have been victimized are more likely to be victimized again Three-fourths of violent crime victims and almost all property crime victims will be victimized more than once 18

Demographic Variation of Victimization Explained Gender Race Ethnicity Age 19

Victimization of College Students College students Lead high risk lifestyles Male students African-American students 20

The Homeless NCVS excludes this group High-Risk lifestyle High-Crime areas Studies indicate high rate of victimization of the homeless 21

Costs and Consequences of Victimization Economic/Medical costs Most serious offenses in 2008 cost $17.4 billion in direct costs Only 14% of victims recovered money or property 7% of victims lost time from work 22

Costs and Consequences Has long term effect on adolescents in terms of education and occupation More than one-third of robbery victims are physically injured More than one-fifth of assault victims are physically injured 23

Psychological Consequences Victimization especially traumatic for some Crimes Individuals Impact of stranger vs. known offenders Indirect victimization Victims’ views about criminal justice system 24

Social/Behavioral Consequences Victims likely become criminals Vicarious victimization Family members Neighborhoods Social relationships Stunted 25

Victims in the Criminal Justice System Victims experiences in the CJ system Second victimization Victim services/programs Victim-Impact statements 26

Victims and Criminal Case Outcomes Prosecutors prefer “good victims” Well educated and articulate Prosecutors avoid “bad victims” Prior criminal history Provocation of the defendant 27

White-Collar Crime Victimization Victimization research focuses on street crime not white-collar crime. Why? Bias in favor of those in power. Lack of: Data (not collected in NCVS) Research 28