Victimology

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

1. United Nations definition of victims:
   - Those who have suffered harm ( mental, physical, emotional, economic and impairment of basic rights) through acts or emissions that violate laws of the state
2. Sociological definition:
   - Victim idea is socially constructed.
   - The stereotype of ideal victim favoured by media, public and criminal justice system is weak innocent blameless individual for example small child or woman which is a target of strangers attack.

Question 2

What 3 features does Mier see positivist victimology to have

Answer 2

1. it aims to identify the factors that produce patterns victimisation, especially that make people ungrouped more likely to be victims.
2. Focuses on interpersonal crimes of violence.
3. It aims to identify victims who have contributed to their own victimisation.

Question 3

What does von hentig identify regarding positivist victimology and what’s a study to support

Answer 3

There’s 13 characteristics of vs including
- female
- elderly
- mentally subnormal
Thus imply a vs in some sense invite victimisation eg how they display wealth

STUDY: Philadelphia 1958 FOUND: out of 588 homicides 26% involved victim precipitation whereby victim triggered the events eg by being the first to use the violence

Question 4

What’s an A03 point of positivist victimology

Answer 4

It does identify certain patterns of interpersonal victimisation but ignores wider structural factors influencing victimisation eg poverty and patriarchy

Question 5

What theories is critical victimology based on?

Answer 5

Conflict theories

Question 6

What two elements does critical victimology focus on?

Answer 6

1. Structural factors.
2. States power to apply or deny the label of a victim.

Question 7

Describe the first element of critical victimology

Answer 7

1. Structural factors:
   - For example patriarchy and poverty
   - Places powerless groups for example women and the poor at greater risk of victimisation as it can be seen as a form of structure powerlessness

Question 8

Describe the second element of critical victimology

Answer 8

2. State power to apply or deny a label of a victim:
   - Victim crime and criminal are social constructs
   - Criminal justice system applies label of a victim to some but withhold it to others

Question 9

What did tombs and whyte find with regards to the second element of critical victimology

Answer 9

• Safety crimes such as employers violations leading to death or injury of workers often are explained through a fault of ‘ accident prone’ workers denying the victim official status and blaming them
• tombs and whyte say the ideological function of this failure to label by concealing the true extent of victimisation and it’s real causes hides crime of the powerful
• In the hierarchy of victimisation the powerless are most likely to be victimised and yet least likely to have this acknowledged by the state

Question 10

A03 if critical victimology

Answer 10

It disregard role of victims that they may play in bringing victimisation on themselves through their own choices or their own offending but draws attention to the way the victim status is constructed by power

Question 11

How does social class show patterns of victimisation

Answer 11

Poorest groups are most likely to be
STUDY: a survey of 300 homeless people
FOUND: marginalise people are 12 times more likely to have experienced violence than the population

Question 12

How does age show a pattern of victimisation?

Answer 12

• Younger are more at risk
• most likely to be murdered is under one
• Teenagers are more vulnerable than adults two offences such as abuse and assault at home
• The older and more at risk of offences such as abuse at nursing homes but the victimisation is less visible

Question 13

How does ethnicity show a pattern of victimisation?

Answer 13

• ethnic minority groups are a greater risk generally as well as racially motivated crimes
• ## Ethnic minority, the young and the homeless and more likely to feel unprotected yet over controlled by the police

Question 14

How does gender show a pattern of victimisation?

Answer 14

• males are greater risk, especially by strangers
• About 70% of homicide victims a male
• But women are more likely to be victims of crimes including domestic violence and stalking

Question 15

What are the statistics on repeat victimisation patterns?

Answer 15

• You’re likely to be a victim again
• The British crime survey found 60% of the population hadn’t been victim in a given year but 4% of the population of victims of 40% in that period