Key Terms and Concepts

Question 1

Auto Victimization

Answer 1

Destructive behaviors and harm that is self-directed

Question 2

Conventional Victimology

Answer 2

Reflects the positivist tradition of social science, with its emphasis on scientific observation and intervention

Question 3

Criminal Victimization

Answer 3

The creation of a “victim” as a result of a violation of a criminal offence as defined by the Criminal Code

Question 4

Critical Victimology

Answer 4

Recognizes the role of power inequalities in creating victimization, and introduces radical feminist and Marxist discourses that emphasize the oppressive nature of capitalism and patriarchy

Question 5

Industrial or Technological Victimization

Answer 5

Harm that is caused by modern technology

Question 6

Natural Victimization

Answer 6

Victimization resulting from causes found in the natural world

Question 7

Non-Criminal Victimization

Answer 7

Social harms that are not covered within the other categories and that are not prohibited by law

Question 8

Penal Victimology

Answer 8

Examines the relationship between victims and offenders, the interactions between victims and the criminal justice system, and the connections between other social groups and institutions

Question 9

Structural Victimization

Answer 9

Harm caused through social and power structures within society

Question 10

Victimology

Answer 10

The scientific study of victimization

Question 11

Attractiveness

Answer 11

Occurs when a target is perceived as being easily obtainable or the potential benefits of gaining access to it outweighs the difficulty of executing the crime

Question 12

Duet Frame of Reference

Answer 12

Term invented by Hans von Hentig that refers to a degree of shared responsibility within the victim-offender relationship

Question 13

Functional Role and Responsibility

Answer 13

Refers to Stephen Schafer’s assertion that it is the victim’s role and responsibility to not provoke others into victimizing or harming them, and to actively prevent such incidents from occurring

Question 14

Impunity

Answer 14

Relates to the concept of attractiveness, and is based on the notion that some victims are chosen by their perpetrator because they are less likely to report an incident to the authorities

Question 15

Mutual Victimization

Answer 15

Happens when offenders become victims through participation in a criminal activity, whereby one party turns on the other

Question 16

No Victimization

Answer 16

Pertains to situations in which victimization is difficult to define. It is also referred to as a “victimless crime”

Question 17

Opportunity

Answer 17

Emphasizes the factors of a criminal/victimizing scenario, and the requirement of a motivated offender, suitable target, and the lack of a capable guardian which together create an opportunity for victimization

Question 18

Penal Couple

Answer 18

Term coined by Benjamin Mendelsohn whereby two parties bear some degree of responsibility for the development of a victim-offender relationship

Question 19

Primary Victimization

Answer 19

Applies to personalized or individual victims where a specific person is targeted for victimization

Question 20

Rationale Choice Theory

Answer 20

The notion that crime is a result of deliberate choices made by offenders based on their calculation of the risks and rewards of those choices

Question 21

Secondary Victimization

Answer 21

Occurs when the victim is an impersonal target of the offender

Question 22

Tertiary

Answer 22

Takes place when the public or society at large are victimized

Question 23

Typology

Answer 23

A classification scheme that assists us in understanding what a group of individuals has in common and how they differ from others (Karmen, 2016)

Question 24

Victim Blaming

Answer 24

Arguments that victims bear some responsibility for their victimization

Question 25

Victim Facilitation

Answer 25

Facilitating the commission of a criminal offence by an individual who is deliberately, negligently or unconsciously placing themselves at risk of victimization

Question 26

Victim Precipitation

Answer 26

A situation in which a victim is partly responsible for arousing the offender’s interest or triggering an attack.

Question 27

Vulnerability

Answer 27

Refers to victims who are at risk due to their personal attributes such as age, frailty, or gender. Victims may also be vulnerable because of their ecology (environment), status or role