Week 9 : Victimology Flashcards
1
Q
victimology is…
A
- the scientific study of the extent, nature & causes of criminal victimization, its consequences for the persons involved & reactions to it by society, the police & the criminal justice system, as well as voluntary workers & professional helpers
- *a sub-field of crim
- *really focuses on relationship between victims & perps of crime, against backdrop of social institutions like CJS
2
Q
secondary victimization…
A
- indirect consequence of the criminal act & ‘perpetrated’ unwittingly
- victims account might be discredited/may not be provided with support & services they need
- there is a ton of ways that a victims experience may be compounded into secondary victimization
- Non-emotional victims are more likely to experience secondary victimization than emotional victims
- Some of the most notorious cases of secondary victimization involve missing + murdered indigenous women + girls in Canada
3
Q
History of victimology…
A
- first, ppl who cause injury/death of someone had to pay compensation to victims family/clan… this was replaced by harsh physical punishment (death penalty)
- criminology was a thing but victimology was not until 19th century
- started cuz idea that criminal deeds have an offender-victim relation let researchers to focus on relationships between perps & victims… this lead to victim blaming
- then society shifted to more humanistic victimology and gained formal recognizing in 1985
4
Q
*Victimization surveys…
A
- study vulnerable groups of ppl
- attempt to understand the victimization process
- new instrument was needed to collect data
- ask respondents whether they have been a victim of crime & if they have, it will ask abt their experiences, their impressions of how the CJS dealt with them + their crime
5
Q
Benefits to victimization surveys…
A
- *Tap into the dark figure of crime (unreported)
- The extent and distribution of selected crimes
- The impact of selected crimes
- The risk of victimization
- The victims perception of the functioning & effectiveness of aspects of CJS
6
Q
*Disadvantages to victimization surveys…
A
- honesty
- non responsiveness
- forgetful &may not feel comfortable
- may not fully understand a question on the survey
- they’re expensive + time consuming
- need a large sample
- provide more questions than answers (produce anxiety/fear)
7
Q
Canadian victimization surveys…
A
- 1980s Canadian Urban Victimization Survey (CUVS) = phone interviews w some 60,000 randomly sampled ppl over 17 in 7 cities & covered 7 categories of crime
- 1988 Statistics Canada included a victimization survey in its General Social Survey (GSS) = replaced CUVS, focuses on different topic each year
- 1993 cross-Canada Violence Against Women Survey (VAWS) = designed to overtime limitations of traditional survey techniques in IPV issues
8
Q
Canadas Violence Against Women Survey (VAWS)
A
- *examines women’s safety inside and outside the home
- since 2001 the federal government has conducted annual surveys on family violence
- sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence, perceptions of fear
- *50% of women, according to VAWS, reported they had experienced at least 1 incident of violence since the age of 16
- *Indigenous threat of victimization is way higher compared to general pop… more likely to experience sexual & physical abuse by a partner & abuse reported is much more violent
- Indigenous women twice as likely to be victimized thru assault w a weapon, beating or strangulation, threats involving firearm/knife or being forced into committing sex acts
9
Q
International crime victims survey…
A
- conducted 6 times between 1989-2005
- 80 countries
- data allowed international comparisons of crime
- shows… Canada had a downward trend in victimization rates, car theft first to decline, assault victimization declined & drop In reported crime pretty universal
- the concerns here are the methodologies
10
Q
Age - (victim characteristics)
A
- *15-24 has the highest rates of victimization across all major categories (sexual & physical assault, robbery & theft of personal property)
- *65+ more likely to the victims of fraud but nothing else even close to the younger ones… they have a big fear of it tho
- just under 20% of Canadians 15+ report being a victim in last 12 months
- 45% of all cases involving kids investigates by welfare ppl constituted substantial cases of abuse
- strong correlation between lifestyle, age & victimization
11
Q
Gender - (victim characteristics)
A
- *women in Canada more likely to be victims of sexual assault & theft than men
- *men more likely to be victims of robbery & assault
- women are more likely to be victimized than men by a margin of 212 vs 187 per 1000
- 4 in 5 Canadian undergrad students claimed to have experienced violence in a dating relationship
- before 1983, Canadian law did not recognize rape within marriage
- 8% of women and 5% of men experience IPV and the incidence rate for men has increased
12
Q
Household income - (victim characteristics)
A
- *household incomes above $100,000+ are more likely to have their houses vandalized/broken into (more valuables and good shit)
- violent victimization rates reported high among families w/ income of less than $40,000 per year
13
Q
Marital status - (victim characteristics)
A
- *IPV more likely to be committed by husband against wife
- dramatically underreported
14
Q
Sexual orientation - (victim characteristics)
A
- *LGBTQ+ individuals experience victimization more than heterosexual ppl
- 2.5 times more then heterosexual ppl
- bisexual ppl specifically experiencing higher victimization rate
15
Q
Race & ethnicity - (victim characteristics)
A
- *Racial discrimination is over represented in the CJS
- *Indigenous women and black ppl are disproportionately likely to be street checked
- In Canada, the government does not release crime statistics broken down by ethnic background of the victims or the perpetrators… so its hard to gain insight
16
Q
Repeat victimization - (victim characteristics)
A
- 25% of victims of violence are repeat victims
- best predictor of future victimization is past victimization
- not impossible to become a repeat victim by chance
- repeat victimization is complicated because young ppl often do not report their victimization experiences to officials
17
Q
victim precipitation theory
A
- victim precipitation theory… blaming victim
- Identified 6 victim types ( e.g. tormentor victims provoke others to lash out against them)
- Empirical research along these lines has been controversial… research can have real-world consequences
18
Q
victimization
A
- *every crime has consequences… material/personal loss, physical suffering and/or emotional distress
- *Victimization takes many forms and can carry substantial repercussions that often extent to the victims’ families, communities and society as a whole
19
Q
Lifestyle theory/model
A
- Hindelang
- *The theory that some ppl experience a greater risk of being victims of crime cuz of their lifestyle habits and patterns of behaviour
- more active and social you are, the greater your risk of being victimized, particularly if you engage in certain types of activities
- *equivalent group hypothesis… offender & victim share certain characteristics, seen most valid in relation to personal victimization (typically acc close in age)
- *proximity hypothesis… ppl place themselves at risk by choosing high-risk lifestyle (make bad choices)
- *deviant place hypothesis… some areas simple are more conducive to crime than others
20
Q
Routine activity theory…
A
- *theory that the risk of victimization increases when there is: Motivated offender(s), Suitable targets & Capable guardian(s)
- *Risk of victimization is greatest for individuals or groups whose routine (daily activities) brings them and/or their property in contact with motivated offender(s) in the absence of capable guardian(s)
- Criminals typically do not create criminal opportunities; rather, they come across them during their day to day activities
21
Q
*Bullying…
A
- assertion of power through aggression
- acquire power over victims physically, emotionally & socially
22
Q
Emergence of Victims’ Rights
A
- April 2015 Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime enacted the Victims Bill of Rights Act
- New act includes 4 main rights of victims…
1. Right to information
2. Right to protection
3. Right to participation
4. Right to restitution
23
Q
Victim impact statements…
A
- traditionally, victims not permitted to participate in sentencing process
- Victims have a right to expect that the offender will be justly punished and the option to offer the court a written victim impact statement (VIS) describing the harm or loss they have suffered as a result of the crime
- Canadian courts are obliged to consider a VIS when determining an appropriate sentence for a convicted criminal
- it is not to provide an opportunity to seek retribution or express their emotions to the offender and/or the court Its to give the court info about how the crime has affected the victim’s lives
24
Q
Victim assistance programs
A
- restitution orders… for victim compensation (money)
- court services… assist victims & address their needs concerning attending court & dealing w/ legal process
- victim service programs… every province offers a victim/witness assistance program
- public education… specific victim assistance projects offer info and assistance to certain types of victims (E.g. Bullying prevention website)
- crisis intervention… provide specialized assistance to counter the negative impact of such crimes as domestic abuse + human trafficking + from secondary victimization
25
Q
victim-offender reconciliation programs…
A
- reflect growing influence of restorative justice movement
- number of them among indigenous populations have been increasing
- criticisms remain and the effectiveness of these programs is still largely unknown
26
Q
future of victimology
A
- The restorative justice model is having a profound influence on justice paradigms
- Victimization data have improved over the years & research needs to keep improving
- The shift towards including victims in the criminal justice system has helped bring a more balanced approach to the study of all parties affected by a crime
