Chapter 4 Flashcards
Victimology
a sub-field of criminology that focuses on the relationship between victims and perpetrators of crimes, against the a backdrop of social institutions such as the criminal justice system
Who is considered the “father” of victimology?
Benjamin Mendelsohn
What did early research which focused on the relationship between perpetrators and their victims lead to?
victim blaming
What were early “victimologists” concerned with?
theorizing the causes of crime, including the victim’s role
What is the purpose of victimization surveys?
-to ask respondents whether they have been the victim of a crime
-those who say yes may be asked questions about their victimization experiences and their impressions of how the various elements of the CJS dealt with their case
Advantages of victim surveys: insight into what?
-the prevalence of several types of victimization
-the dark figure of crime
-the impact of selected crimes, such as injury and cost to victims
-the risk of victimization
-the victim’s perception of the functioning and effectiveness of the CJS
List all disadvantages of victimization surveys
-cannot tell us anything about the numbers of perpetrators, which is info that can only be obtained from UCR data
-criminologists ask themselves whether survey questions can tell us enough to justify the time and money spent on them
-reporting the results of victimization surveys might create anxiety and fear of crime in the public
-results may provide more questions than answers
-measuring crime through general population surveys is problematic as victimization is not evenly distributed across the population
-people who are difficult to reach are rarely included
How dd canadian urban victim surveys start?
-early 1980’s
-involved phone interviews with some 60000 randomly sampled respondents over 17 in seven diff cities
General Social Survey
-beginning in 1988
-a series of annual surveys by stats canada designed to gather info on social trends and specific policy issues
Violence against women survey (VAWS)
-1993 survey of canadian women 18 and over
-examined women’s safety inside and outside the home
-focused on issues like sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence, perceptions of fear
Victimization of Indigenous Women
-more likely to experience physical and sexual abuse by a partner
-more likely to report being victimized by a domestic partner
-more often the abuse is violent
-more likely that the violence involves a weapon
-most who report have realistic fears for their safety
-more likely to be killed because of intimate partner violence
International Crime Victims Surveys (ICVS)
-conducted six times (89-05)
-allows international comparisons of crime
-shows a downward trend in victimization rates in certain countries
-decline in car theft rate first, followed by B&E
-decline in assault
-the drop in reported crime was universal
-no evidence to suggest that prior victimization leads to fear of crime among canadians
Victim Characteristics: Age
-young people aged 15-24 had the highest rates of victimization while those 65 and older had the lowest across all major categories - SA, PA, and theft
-this younger group was almost 15x more likely to experience violent victimization than old people
-correlation between lifestyle, age, and victimization
Victim Characteristics: Gender
-obvi, women were more likely to be victimized than men (212 v 187 per 1000)
-women in Canada are more likely to be victims of SA and theft
-men are more likely to be victims of robbery and assault. Domestic violence against men is increasing
-SA and spousal violence are underreported
Victim Characterization: Household Income
-more money means thieves are more attracted
-the rate of victimization among those in the higher income brackets was 1.5 x greater than among those with household incomes under $20,000
