Victimology

Question 1

What is positive victimology

Answer 1

Aims produce patterns
Focuses interpersonal crimes
Aims identify victims who have contributed to own victimisation

Question 2

What are the two views of victims contributing to own victimisation

Answer 2

Victim proneness

Victim precipitation

Question 3

What is victim proneness

Answer 3

Social and psychological characteristics

What makes them more vulnerable e.g. Women, elderly

Question 4

What is victim precipitation

Answer 4

Used violence first

E.g. Wolfgangs study 26% used violence first

Question 5

Evaluation of positive victimology

Answer 5

Ignores wider structural factors
Easily tip in to victim blaming
Downplays role law/police/CJS

Question 6

What theorists is critical criminology based on

Answer 6

Conflict

Marx and Feminism

Question 7

What are the 2 elements of critical criminology

Answer 7

Structural factors

Victim is a social construct

Question 8

What are the structural factors

Answer 8

Poverty and patriarchy

Place powerless at risk

Question 9

Why is the term victim a social construct

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Evaluation of critical criminology

Answer 10

Valuable: drawing attention to way victim status is constructed
Disregards role victims: through own choices e.g. Not hiding valuables

Question 11

Overall pattern of victimisation

Answer 11

Chance any one individual being victim crime any 1 year is 1 in 4
Risk unevenly distributed

Question 12

Class patterns

Answer 12

Poorest most likely be victimised, highest rate among: unemployed, long term sick, low income, rented accommodation, living high levels physical deterioration

Question 13

What are the BCS statistics on class

Answer 13

Compared 20% most affluent households, the poorest 20% face 2x risk of burglary

Question 14

What is the inverse victimisation of law in relation to class

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Newburn and Rocks research in to class victimology

Answer 15

Studies 300 homeless people
12x more likely experience violence
1 in 10 urinated on

Question 16

Age in relation to victimology

Answer 16

Younger more at risk - infants under 1 & teenagers - assault, sexual harassment, theft and abuse
Lifestyle of young = greater opportunity expose higher risk

Question 17

How does Wilson support age as a factor of victimology

Answer 17

27% 10-25 year olds report being victim to personal crime e.g. Assault or theft

Question 18

Are old people at risk

Answer 18

Yes - abuse in nursing homes

Question 19

Patterns ethnicity in victimology

Answer 19

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

Question 20

BCS statistics to support ethnicity

Answer 20

139,000 racially motivated incidents in 2005/6 including harassment, abuse, threats, intimidation
380 incidents a day

Question 21

What do all EM do

Answer 21

Report higher fear of crime than white population

Question 22

Evaluation of ethnic victimology

Answer 22

Differences explained by EM having higher proportion of young individuals 
Explained by younger age profile, social class and living areas social deprivation

Question 23

Males in relation to victimology

Answer 23

Greater risk victim violent attacks by strangers

70% homocide victims male

Question 24

Females in relation to victimology

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What are women more likely to be a victim of

Answer 25

Sexual violence, stalking, harassment, people trafficking, a victim of rape as a weapon of war

Question 26

Rape in reference to victimology

Answer 26

Women: 92% cases
2/3 not reported
Secondary victimisation 
Conviction rate: 5%
8% by strangers, 57% partners, 75% home

Question 27

Why do rape cases occur

Answer 27

Feminists: men socialised into sense superiority over women
Marx fem: unequal relationships intensified by class inequality and poverty

Question 28

4 types of impact of victimisation

Answer 28

Repeat
Indirect
Secondary
Fear

Question 29

What is the impact of victimisation: repeat victimisation

Answer 29

Victim once, likely to be again

60% population have not been victim in any one year, 4% will be victim to 44% crimes occurred

Question 30

What is the impact of victimisation: indirect victimisation

Answer 30

Friends, relatives, witnesses
Hate crimes against minorities radiate out affect others
Intimidate whole community not just primary victim

Question 31

What is the impact of victimisation: secondary victimisation

Answer 31

2x a victim - once in hands of attack, 2nd in CJS

Rape victims = double violation

Question 32

What is the impact of victimisation: fear of victimisation

Answer 32

May be irrational, or form of control. Focuses on women as passive victims rather than challenging structural threat of patriarchal violence

Question 33

Summary of victimology

Answer 33

Positivist: victim proneness or precipitation
Critical victimology: emphasises structural factors and states power on labels
Young, poor, ethnic minorities greater risk victimisation