Victims of Crime Flashcards
What’s the trend for age, gender and ethnicity for victims of crime?
Age:
> The majority of victims of crimes are those between the ages of 16-24.
> Infants under 1 are most likely;y to be victims of homicide.
> Teenagers are more likely than adults to be assaulted.
> Old people have lower victimisation rates.
Gender:
> Males are more likely to be victims of violent attacks and 70% of homicide victims are male.
> Women are more likely to be victims of rape, and domestic violence.
> Female victimisation tends to be more ‘newsworthy’.
Ethnicity:
> Ethnic minorities are more likely to be victims of crime than their white counterparts.
> Ethnic minority groups often live in poor areas, which can increase the likelihood of victimisation.
What is repeat victimisation?
If you’ve been a victim once it’s more than likely that you’ll be a victim again or chronic victimisation. This is because there is often a close relationship of those who commit crime and those who fall victim of crime.
What is positivistic victimology?
Positivistic victimology focuses on producing patterns and trends in patterns of victimisation in society in holding the belief that objective facts about victimisation can be understood.
The crime survey is the most important method to show official statistics. The main findings show that:
> Men and women are equally likely to be victims of crime.
> Full-time students were most likely to be vulnerable to victimisation.
> Victimisation is found amongst those who are single.
> Female rape victims know their attacker in over 80% of cases.
EVALUATION:
> Critics of the crime survey and the way that positivist victimology relies upon its findings are that it provides an incomplete picture of crime. The victims identified in the survey are the ‘ victims the state chooses to see.
> Positivist victimology often takes the results of crime surveys at face value. This risks overlooking how people may lie, exaggerate or even forget about crimes that they have fallen victim to.
What is radical victimology?
Radical victimology focuses on what makes a group of people vulnerable to being victims. It also attempts to draw much-needed attention to the crimes that the powerful commit, and the victims that this creates.
> The approach has been specially developed by left realists sociologists, drawing upon the evidence highlighted in local victim surveys.
What are left realism views on the Islington crime survey?
According to left realists, local victim surveys, such as the Islington survey in London, highlights just how vulnerable low-income people in the poorest areas of major towns and cities tend to be.
> These people have the least power, and they are the least well-equipped to deal with the impact of their victimisation. Unlike middle-class victims of burglary, for example, working-class people are less likely to have insurance.
Radical victimology also looks at the impact that state crime can have on people. Again, it is often that the poorest members of society come worse when states themselves abuse their people. The poorest people are much more defenceless.
What is critical victimology?
This approach is based on conflict theories such as feminism and Marxism and shares some of the views put forward in radical victimology.
Critical victimology attempts to examine the way that the term ‘victim’ is socially constructed, and the impact it can have on a person’s identity. The role of the state is particularly seen to be important since it has the power to define who is and isn’t a victim. Marxist and feminists are, therefore, most interested in this approach to victimology.
According to critical victimology, the state will use its power to define who is and is not worthy of being labelled a ‘victim’. This allows compensation payouts to be minimised and kept to a minimum.
EVALUATION:
> Critical victimology can often overlook how there has been great progress in tackling injustices.
What is secondary victimisation?
In addition to the crime itself that the victim experiences, they may suffer a second time at the hands of the criminal justice system e.g. rape victims are often poorly treated by the courts and therefore suffer a double violation.
Fear of victimisation
Crime may create a fear of becoming a victim. Often, those who live in fear are unlikely to actually be victims according to the official picture e.g. women are more fearful but men are more likely to be the victim.
