Victims of crime Flashcards
Victimology
Term for study of the impact of crime on victims, victims interests and patterns of victimization
What are victims now being increasingly viewed as?
Consumers or customers of CJS and success now being judged by extent to which meets needs of victims.
Why has greater importance been attached to victims?
Grows their confidence in that CJS will support them and catch and punish offenders so they will be more willing to give evidence
Social construction of victimisation
Depends on attachment of the label of ‘victim’. Many unreported and unrecorded victims.
What type of crimes are less likely to be recorded or reported by victims?
- Domestic violence
- Sexual assaults
- Corporate crime e.g. Environmental harm
- Fraud (victims may not realise they’ve been victimised)
When may victims refuse to accept they’ve been victimised?
- Domestic abuse: blame themselves
- Internet scams: see themselves as stupid
What example of denial of victim status is there?
Tombs and whyte
Suggest accident victims of corporate crimes arising from employer neglect of health & safety regulations are themselves blamed for being accident prone or negligent
What other effects to victimization did Hoyle say there were?
Anger, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, panic attacks, shock, poor physical health
What does the CSEW show?
High levels of worry about crime rise among among those who have been victimised and whole security industry has been developed around this
What consequences have there been from effects of victimisation according to feminists?
Female victims afraid to go out at night or afraid to go into certain areas
How can secondary victimization occur as a result of primary victimization?
Such as in rape trials victim more than male seem to be on trial with questions like clothing and situation being interrogated before taken seriously. After victim may suffer from attacks and threats
Radical victimology
Associated with conflict theories such as marxism and feminism. Focuses on wider social issues such as how CJS produces victimisation.
Gender and victimization: rape
About 90% of rape victims are women and estimates only 1/10 reported to police
84% females knew perpetrator
70% take place in victims or offenders home
Age and victimisation
CSEW shows likelihood of being a victim of crime decreases with age
Higher proportion of 16-24 reporting personal crime (3X more likely than all adults)
Ethnicity and victimisation
Victims from minority ethnic groups make up 23% of homocides in 2007- more than twice the risk facing white population
