Trauma & Victim Unit One

trauma-informed care

an approach to working with an individual or creating an organization/workplace that is mindful of what has happened to people in the past and how that impacts their reaction to the present situation

what do we shift thinking from and to when using trauma informed care?

“what is wrong with you” —> “what has happened to you”

what does trauma-informed care look like in practice?

1. normalize/validate

2. be clear/direct

3. offer rationale for why

4. provide choice

why is being clear and direct important for trauma-informed care?

it helps prevent misinterpretation

what are some phrases that can be used to validate someone when using trauma-informed care?

“this may be uncomfortable” “i get that it’s hard”

what might trauma-informed care look like in a healthcare setting?

explaining what your interaction with the patient will entail

what might trauma-informed care look like in a school setting?

allow a child who you know does not get good meals at home to get a snack

fix: Your drug screen is dirty.

your drug screen shows the presence of drugs

fix: There’s nothing else we can do for you

Maybe we aren’t using the right approach for you

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

traumatic experiences in childhood that impact the body’s development and ongoing health throughout adulthood

Four Goals of Trauma-Informed Care

1. realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths to recovery

2. recognize signs and symptoms of trauma in patients, families, and others in a setting

3. integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices

4. actively avoid re-traumatizing

who coined the term victimology?

Benjamin Mendelson (1947)

victimology

the study of

1. etiology/causes of victimization

2. its consequences (psychological & behavior)

3. how the CJS accommodates and assists victims

4. how other elements of society deal with victims

is victimology considered a science?

yes

Victimology Before/During the Middle Ages (5th-16th century)

• the burden of the justice system fell on the victim, emphasizing retribution and restitution

• crime was against the victim, not the state

• used the Code of Hammurabi

Code of Hammurabi

early criminal code in Babylon that focused on the restoration of equity between victim and offender

restitution

retribution

Victimology in the Mid 1800s-Early 1900s

the Industrial Revolution caused crime to now be seen as a violation against the state, not the victim; now society had to decide what was/wasn’t a crime

Victimology in the 1940s

attention returned to the victim and was not sympathetic; research emphasized how victims contribute to their own victimization and damage to the victim was ignored

what caused the shift in victimology that caused crime to now be seen as a violation against state rather than the victim?

the industrial revolution

victim precipitation

places a victim’s responsibility of their victimization on a continuumw

when might victim precipitation be problematic?

when it is used to blame the victim

victim facilitation

without realizing it, a victim’s actions made it easier for the offender to commit a crime

• their behavior made them a more likely target

what is this an example of: you forgot to lock your car so it gets stolen

victim facilitation

is victim facilitation the same as victim blame?

no, victim facilitation made them an easier target, but the offender still should not have committed the crime

how does victim facilitation affect empathy?

might lower others’ empathy

victim provocation

a victim’s actions incite another person to commit a cime that would not have occurred otherwise; constitutes blame

does victim facilitation or victim provocation constitute blame?

victim provocation

what is this an example of: coming at someone with a knife so they shoot you

victim provocation

what is this an example of: purposefully flirting and dressing like a slut so you get raped

victim provocation

can concepts of victim precipitation, facilitation, and provocation overlap?

yes

Hans Von Hentig (1948)

looked at the characteristics of victims that put them at risk and identified 13 categories of crime victims; also examined criminal-victim dyad

Hentig’s 13 Categories of Crime Victims

1. young

2. female

3. elderly

4. immigrants

5. depressed

6. mentally defective

7. acquisitive

8. dull normals

9. minorities

10. wanton

11. lonesome/heartbroken

12. tormentor

13. the blocked, exempted, and fighting

who believed that victims provoke victimization based off their own characteristics?

Hans Von Hentig

criminal-victim dyad

refers to how Von Hentig considered the criminal and victim together rather than studied in isolation

Mendelsohn (mid 1940s)

looked at victim-offender relationships and created a system based on victim culpability

who is the “father of victimology”?

mendelsohn

Mendelsohn’s System of Victim Culpability

1. completely innocent victim (victimized simply bc of one’s own nature e.g. being a child)

2. victim with minor guilt (victim unintentionally places oneself in harm’s way)

3. victim as guilty as offender (one who enters into a suicide pact)

4. victim more guilty than offender (victim provokes victimization)

5. most guilty victim (victimized during the perpetration/aftermath of the crime)

6. stimulating or imaginary victim (one who fabricates victimization)

who conducted the first empirical of where victims fall on the continuum of victim precipitation?

Wolfgang (1952)

Wolfgang’s Studies

studied homicide victims in Philadelphia; found that in 26% of cases, the victim was the first to engage in violence with the murderer; ALSO identified common factors

what common factors did Wolfgang find among the Philadelphia homicide cases he studied?

1. victim and offender knew each other

2. victims and offenders were more likely to be male

3. victim was likely to have a history of violent offending

4. alcohol was usually involved

subintentional homicide

refers to when the victim makes it easier to become a victim of homicide by… using poor judgement, placing self at risk, using alcohol

Amir

studied extent of rapes in Philadelphia where he saw victim as “contributing” (1960s); very controversial because heavy blame was put on the victim

what are some characteristics did Amir view as “contributing” to rape victimization?

1. alcohol involved

2. victim engaged in seductive behavior, wore revealing clothing, used risque language and had a bad reputation

3. offender views victim as going against what he views as appropriate female behavior

According to Amir’s study, what percent of rape victims “contributed” to their rape?

20%

describe the shifts in victimology during the mid 1900s and the 1960s

Mid1900s: shift in how victims are viewed

1960s: increased concern about crime

National Crime Survey (1970s)

first government-sponsored victimization survey that indicated that the official crime rate paled in comparison to the number of victims uncovered

what shone a light on unreported crime / victim reluctance?

National Crime Survey (1970s)

why might victims be reluctant to report crimes?

scared, dont think they will be believed, puts them more at risk, etc.

what two movements played an influential role in the Victim Rights Movement?

women’s movement and civil rights movement

Women’s Right Movement

focused on female crime victims and children; led to the first domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers in the 1970s

what developments arose from the Women’s Rights Movement?

1. awareness that victimization entails emotional and mental harm even if there is no physical harm

2. criminal justice system was no longer relied upon to provide victims with assistance

3. shelters could run without massive budgetary support due to reliance on volunteers

Civil Rights Movement

advocated against racism and discrimination; created awareness to how the CJS mistreated racial minorities as both victims and offenders

describe some early programs for crime victims

• 1965: first victim compensation program (California)

• 1972: three victim assistance programs developed across the US

• 1970s: organizations created to address the needs of secondary victims (ex MADD)

what is a victim compensation program?

programs that financially assist the victim (paying for bloody carpet to be cleaned)

secondary victims

people affected by another’s victimization (ex: MADD, Parents of Murdered Children, etc.)

what state was the first to pass a Victim’s Bill of Rights?

Wisconsin (1980)

What were the Major Initiatives established by the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime

1. federal legislation for state victim compensation and local victim assistance programs

2. recommendations to professionals about how to treat victims

3. creation of a task force on violence within families

4. proposed federal victims’ rights amendment

what is one aspect of victimization which we focus more on today?

the need to know who is victimized

what led to the