Victimology - 10/20marker

Question 1

Key Terms

Answer 1

Offender - person who commits a crime

Victim - crime committed against them

Victimisation - processes in becoming a criminal

Question 2

Key Facts

Answer 2

Victime Surveys = CSEW - dark figure of victims (don’t tend to report)

Lower sociological groups more likely to be a victim

Males more likely to be victimised except for rape, females more likely to be victimised by an intimate partner - boys are more likely to be victimised by strangers

Mixed ethnicities more likely to be victimised

20-49 year olds is peak age for becoming a victim

Characteristics of a typical offender and victim are broadly similar

Question 3

Cohen & Felson
Routine Activities & Lifestyle Theory

Answer 3

A person’s activities influence the risk of being a victim of crime

Certain individuals and places encourage selection by offenders

As society becomes increasingly wealthy, this could increase victimisation

Question 4

Mendelsohn
Victim Classifications

Answer 4

1. Imaginary Victim - not victimised, but fabricates a victimisation event
2. Victim as guilty as the offender - bears as much responsibility as offender
3. Victim with minor guilt - victimised due to ignorance, accidentally puts themselves in harm’s way
4. Victim more guilty than offender - instigates own victimisation
5. Completely innocent victim - bears no responsibility for victimisation
6. Most guilty victim - victimised during the process of committing crime

Question 5

Victim Precipitation, Victim Facilitation, Victim Provocation

Answer 5

Victim Precipitation - the extent to which a victim is responsible for their own victimisation

Victim Facilitation - occurs when a victim makes it unintentionally easier to commit a crime

Victim Provocation - when a person does something that incites another person to commit an illegal act - without the victim the crime wouldn’t have taken place

Question 6

Structural Causes of Victimisation

Answer 6

Hotspots for Crime - certain areas such as the poorest have higher risk of crime (A03-Marshall sink estates)

Residential Mobility - victimisation is higher in areas where there is a transient population (A03-Shaw&McKay zone of transition)

Family Structure - areas headed by female single parents have higher rates of theft and violence (A03-Murray underclass)