Victimisation

Victim

• Definition: Those who have suffered harm, including mental, physical, or emotional suffering, economic losses, and impairment of their basic rights through acts or omissions that violate the law of the state.

United Nations Inverse Victimisation Law

• Those with the least power, most deprived, and fewest material possessions are most likely to be victims of crime and also most likely to commit crimes.

Changes in the Study of Victimology

• Victims as Consumers of the Criminal Justice System

  • Victims are increasingly seen as consumers of the Criminal Justice System.

  • The Criminal Justice System is judged by its treatment of victims, often measured through victim surveys and victim support services.

• Since 2012, victims of antisocial behaviour and low-level crime have had input into out-of-court punishments by selecting from a list of options.

• There's a growing recognition that the Criminal Justice System needs victims to come forward and have confidence in the system to effectively punish criminals.

2002 National Crime Recording Standard

• Adopted by all police forces in England and Wales.

• Gave priority to the victims' recollection of the crime rather than the police's interpretation of the evidence.

Traditional View of Crime Victims

• Weak

• Innocent

• Blameless

• Likely Female

• Likely Elderly

Statistical View of Crime Victims

• Likely Male

• Age 19-28

• Ethnic minority

• Note: There are variances when looking at different types of crime

Patterns of Victimisation

• Class

  • Working-class and underclass individuals are more likely to be victims of crime.

  • Middle-class individuals are more likely to fear being a victim of crime.

  • This disparity is partly due to the areas in which lower working-class individuals live.

• Age

  • Infants are most likely to be victims of murder.

  • Teenagers are most likely to be victims of theft, violent crime, and sexual crimes.

  • The elderly are most likely to be victims of abuse.

• Gender

  • Men are more likely to be victims of violent crime and theft. Approximately 70% of homicide victims are male.

  • Women are more likely to be victims of sexual crimes, domestic violence, and trafficking.

• Ethnicity

  • Ethnic minorities are more at risk of being victims of crime, especially those of mixed ethnicity.

  • The Home Office estimates approximately 106,000 hate crimes per year, which is about 300 per day.

Impact of Victimisation

• Hoyle (2012)

  • Identifies 12 reactions to being a victim of crime.

  • Victims may experience some or all of these emotions, which can negatively affect their lives.

  • Reactions include sleeplessness, fear of re-victimisation, PTSD, shock, anxiety, and poor health.

• Walklate (2004)

  • Discusses double victimisation, which can occur during the trial.

  • The defence team may attempt to discredit the victim or blame the victim for their own victimisation.

Fear of Crime

• Many people who are victims of crime become much more fearful of being a victim again in the future.

• This can significantly impact their behaviour and lifestyle.

Explanations of Victimisation

• Positivist Victimology

  • Tierney:

    • Victim Proneness: Identifies characteristics that make someone more likely to be a victim of crime.

    • Victim Precipitation: Examines how victims have been actively involved in the crime or brought the crime upon themselves.

  • Hans Von Hentig:

    • Developed a typology of victims based on the degree to which victims contributed to causing the criminal act.

    • Identified 12 characteristics of victims, including the young, female, immigrants, depressed, wanton, tormentor, blocked, exempted or fighting.

• Critical Victimology

  • Mawby and Walklate:

    • Focus on social structures as a cause of victimisation.

  • Labelling:

    • Examines the denial or attachment of labels to victims.

  • Tombs and Whyte:

    • Hierarchy of victimisation: Explores how safety crimes are sometimes dismissed as the result of clumsy workers.