Consequences of Victimization

Primary Victimization Consequences
- Physical consequences
- Psychological consequences
- Economic costs
System Costs
- Law enforcement, courts, and corrections
Exacerbating Factors to Victimization
- Vicarious victimization
- Reporting
- Fear of crime

Injury can range from short-lived to permanent.
Characteristics of those who incur injury (NCVS, 2016):
- 27% of assault victims
- 35% of robbery victims
- Incidents perpetrated by non-strangers were more likely to result in injury compared to those by strangers.
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) - Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter:
- Majority of victims are males (78%).
- Whites and Blacks account for similar percentages of victims.
- Most murder victims are murdered by an acquaintance.
- Guns are the weapon of choice when a weapon is used.
- The motive for the majority of known homicides is arguments.

Self-blame: Blaming oneself for victimization.
- Characterological self-blame: One’s character (victimization is deserved).
- Behavioral self-blame: Victim can do something to avoid a future victimization.
Learned helplessness:
- Feel that responding to victimization is useless.

Common economic costs:
- Property losses
- Cost of medical care
- Time away from work, school, and home
- Pain, suffering, quality of life reduction
- Legal costs
Property loss due to victimization:
- 94% of property crime victims experienced economic loss.
- Arson = $15,500$ per incident.
- Motor vehicle theft = $3,300$ per incident.
- 16% of victims recover some or all of their property.
Medical care:
- Transporting victims to the hospital
- Doctor care
- Prescription drugs
Economic costs by crime type:
- Child abuse costs $6.2$ billion annually.
- Battered women costs $1.8$ billion annually.
- Assaults with injuries: $1,470$ per incident.
- Drunk driving victims injured: $6,400$ per incident.
Gunshot victims:
- Make up one third of all crime-related hospitalizations
- Lifetime medical costs = $1.7$ billion for all gunshot victims (1994)
Mental Health Care
- 10–20% mental health costs crime-related
Productivity losses
- At place of employment, housework, and school
Pain, Suffering, and Quality of Life Issues
- Most difficult elements to “quantify”
- Victims may change routines and lifestyle
- How can we attribute a dollar value to this?

The United States spends upward of $214$ annually on the criminal justice system.
The United States covers one-fourth of health insurance payouts to crime victims.
- Gunshot victims cost taxpayers over $4.5$ billion annually.
Insurance companies pay $45$ billion annually on crime-related claims.

Reporting the crime to law enforcement and subsequent involvement in the criminal justice system are important.
Only about half of all crimes are reported.
Reports are most likely when:
- The offender is armed
- The offender is under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- The offender is a stranger
- The offender is a non-gang member
- The victim suffers an injury
Common reasons crime victims choose to report:
- Prevent future crime
- Stop offender
- Because it was a crime
- Protect others
- Recover property
Common reasons victims do NOT report:
- Private matter
- Reported to another official
- Unsuccessful crime/item returned
- Fear

Fear: Emotional response to a perceived threat.
- Physiological response causing fight or flee reaction.
Fear of crime is different from the perceived risk of crime.
- Fear of crime: Activates the body to alert them to danger.
- Perceived risk: Perceived likelihood that a person will become a crime victim.
Fear of crime is difficult to measure.
- Types of questions asked didn’t ask about fear specifically.
  - How safe do you feel at school?
- Some groups are actually less likely to be victimized but report higher levels of fear.
Females and older persons are more fearful.
- Females:
  - Fear of sexual assaults
  - “Shadow hypothesis”
- Older individuals:
  - Likely to feel that they cannot fend off attackers or otherwise protect themselves.
Incivilities are tied to fear of crime.
- Incivilities are low-level breaches of community standards that indicate erosion of conventionally accepted norms and values.
- Incivilities can be:
  - Physical: Litter, trash, and untended property.
  - Social: Rowdy youth, loiterers, and people drinking.
Fear of crime as “good”
- Can be good if it leads to protection
  - Avoidance behaviors (constrained behaviors)
    - Restrictions that people place on their behaviors
      - Staying at home
  - Defensive Behaviors
    - Guard themselves
      - Purchasing a gun