Victimology Flashcards
What is positive victimology
Aims produce patterns
Focuses interpersonal crimes
Aims identify victims who have contributed to own victimisation
What are the two views of victims contributing to own victimisation
Victim proneness
Victim precipitation
What is victim proneness
Social and psychological characteristics
What makes them more vulnerable e.g. Women, elderly
What is victim precipitation
Used violence first
E.g. Wolfgangs study 26% used violence first
Evaluation of positive victimology
Ignores wider structural factors
Easily tip in to victim blaming
Downplays role law/police/CJS
What theorists is critical criminology based on
Conflict
Marx and Feminism
What are the 2 elements of critical criminology
Structural factors
Victim is a social construct
What are the structural factors
Poverty and patriarchy
Place powerless at risk
Why is the term victim a social construct
State has power apply or deny label e.g. Deciding not to press charges against husband beating his wife - denies her status of a victim
Tombs and Whyte: h&s at work blames accident prone workers
Hides crime of powerful
Evaluation of critical criminology
Valuable: drawing attention to way victim status is constructed
Disregards role victims: through own choices e.g. Not hiding valuables
Overall pattern of victimisation
Chance any one individual being victim crime any 1 year is 1 in 4
Risk unevenly distributed
Class patterns
Poorest most likely be victimised, highest rate among: unemployed, long term sick, low income, rented accommodation, living high levels physical deterioration
What are the BCS statistics on class
Compared 20% most affluent households, the poorest 20% face 2x risk of burglary
What is the inverse victimisation of law in relation to class
Those who have fewest and least valuable possessions most likely to have them stolen or vandalised
Irony: those who steal from poor, mainly poor themselves
Newburn and Rocks research in to class victimology
Studies 300 homeless people
12x more likely experience violence
1 in 10 urinated on
Age in relation to victimology
Younger more at risk - infants under 1 & teenagers - assault, sexual harassment, theft and abuse
Lifestyle of young = greater opportunity expose higher risk
How does Wilson support age as a factor of victimology
27% 10-25 year olds report being victim to personal crime e.g. Assault or theft
Are old people at risk
Yes - abuse in nursing homes
Patterns ethnicity in victimology
EM more at risk: racially motivated, less protected yet more controlled by police
Black and Asians 14x more likely victim to racially motivated incidents
Homocides: 21% EM groups - 2x risk whole population, 6x blacks
BCS statistics to support ethnicity
139,000 racially motivated incidents in 2005/6 including harassment, abuse, threats, intimidation
380 incidents a day
What do all EM do
Report higher fear of crime than white population
Evaluation of ethnic victimology
Differences explained by EM having higher proportion of young individuals Explained by younger age profile, social class and living areas social deprivation
Males in relation to victimology
Greater risk victim violent attacks by strangers
70% homocide victims male
Females in relation to victimology
Greater risk domestic violence = 1 in 4 compared 1 in 6 men.
Attacks men on women amongst 89% most violent attacks
150 women a year killed by former partner
What are women more likely to be a victim of
Sexual violence, stalking, harassment, people trafficking, a victim of rape as a weapon of war
Rape in reference to victimology
Women: 92% cases 2/3 not reported Secondary victimisation Conviction rate: 5% 8% by strangers, 57% partners, 75% home
Why do rape cases occur
Feminists: men socialised into sense superiority over women Marx fem: unequal relationships intensified by class inequality and poverty
4 types of impact of victimisation
Repeat
Indirect
Secondary
Fear
What is the impact of victimisation: repeat victimisation
Victim once, likely to be again
60% population have not been victim in any one year, 4% will be victim to 44% crimes occurred
What is the impact of victimisation: indirect victimisation
Friends, relatives, witnesses
Hate crimes against minorities radiate out affect others
Intimidate whole community not just primary victim
What is the impact of victimisation: secondary victimisation
2x a victim - once in hands of attack, 2nd in CJS
Rape victims = double violation
What is the impact of victimisation: fear of victimisation
May be irrational, or form of control. Focuses on women as passive victims rather than challenging structural threat of patriarchal violence
Summary of victimology
Positivist: victim proneness or precipitation
Critical victimology: emphasises structural factors and states power on labels
Young, poor, ethnic minorities greater risk victimisation
