Victimologyhttp://uk.businessinsider.com/what-is-blue-and-how-do-we-see-color-2015-2

Learning Objectives

Whiteboards

• Write down the characteristics that you believe a ‘typical’ victim of crime may have...

• ...(e.g. What characteristics make someone more likely to be a victim?)

According to Lea & Young (1984):

• Black, working class young men are the most likely to be victims of crime.• They are victims of the actions of

other black, working class people.• They are also victims of racist

practices by the police.

MythVulnerable people

(e.g. elderly, children) are most at risk of crime…

We should beware of strangers!!!

Burglars look out for big houses in good areas, with lots of expensive stuff to steal…

Being a victim of crime once

reduces your chance of being a

victim again…

Reality

Young males are, by far, the most

likely to be victims of crime (elderly women are the

least likely)

In nearly 90% of violent crimes (inc. rape, murder) the

victim and offender know

each other

The most likely victims of property

crime are low-income

households

Certain types of victim are

subjected to repeat

victimisation (e.g. 21% of houses

burgled are burgled again)

Myths about

Victims

Whiteboards• Now on your boards write down three potential

consequences of being a victim of crime. Try to identify one for each of the following:

Physical consequencesPsychological consequences

Social consequences

Studies on Consequences

Maguire (1994)Asked victims of burglaries what was the worst aspect of the experience: Only 32% said it was the loss of belongings.

Shapland (1984)75% of victims of assault/violence still express concerns about the incident two and half years later.

Morris (1987)Victims of child abuse often continue to suffer shame and guilt as adults.

Discuss

• Are these consequences just confined to the victim?

• Should victims have a role in deciding the punishment of offenders?

• From where do we obtain data about victims?

Sources of Data

Police and Court statistics National Victimisation surveys (e.g.

BCS/CSEW) Local victim surveys (e.g. Lea &

Young’s Islington Survey)

In Pairs

Based on your knowledge of crime statistics and your wider sociological knowledge, discuss the following:

Which victims are likely to be underrepresented in police and court statistics?

Which victims do not appear in victim surveys?

Under-represented Victims: Why?• Rape• Domestic abuse• Child abuse• Sexual Harassment (in the workplace)• Racism in the workplace• Racist attacks• Stalking• Hate Crimes• Corporate Crime

Walklate (2007), Walby & Allen (2004)

Feminist Perspectives• Female victims are usually ignored/hidden• Victimisation is connected to patriarchal

nature of society• Procedures by police and court discourage

women from reporting crimes they have been victims of.

• Only 36% of domestic abuse, sexual harassment and stalking reported by women

Rape• In a majority of cases, the victim and rapist know

each other.

• 14% of married women (from a sample of 1000) are raped by their husbands (Painter; 1991).

• Over a 12 month period, 6% of women are raped (or forced, by violence, to “consent”) by their partner.

• Hall (1985) claimed that only 8% of rape victims report the crime. The BCS findings suggest this figure is higher.

Discuss

Study these two quotes from judges during rape trial proceedings. Do you agree? What effects might these have on the willingness of victims to report rape?

1. “Women who say no don’t always mean no” (Judge Wild; 1982)

2. “It is the height of impudence for any girl to hitch-hike at night.” (Judge Bertrand Richards; 1982)

Worksheet

• Study the worksheet and answer the questions provided.

Domestic Abuse

• 46% of all female victims of violence were assaulted in their own homes (British Crime Survey)

• 10% of all women in North London experienced violence from their partners within a 12 month period (Mooney; 1993)

Domestic Abuse

• Study the worksheet and answer the questions provided (in pairs).

Domestic Abuse• Attitudes towards domestic violence (by both the

public and police) have been changing since the 1980s, mainly due to the highlighting of the issue by the media.

• However, there is still considerable under-reporting of domestic violence in the UK.

The Collated Findings of the BCS• Working class most likely to be victims of property

crime• Risk of murder greatest before 1 year of age• Teenagers most at risk of assault/harassment –

such incidents rarely reported• Child abuse/elder abuse rarely reported, so

‘hidden’

The Collated Findings of the BCS

• Men more likely to be victims of violence in public• Men also more likely to be victims of

injury at work (due to employer negligence)• Ethnic minorities at greater risk of

victimisation.• Elderly women most concerned about

crime, but least likely to be victims.

3 Ways of Viewing the Victim (Karmen; 1990)1. Conservative (Linked to New Right)• Crime is visible and most victims are known.• People should be accountable for their actions;

justice should be based on retribution.• Victims lifestyles make them more likely to be

victims. People should therefore take more precautions.

3 Ways of Viewing the Victim (Karmen; 1990)2. Liberal (Linked to Marxist/New Left)• Many victims are hidden.• Many victims (e.g. of corporate crime) are

unaware of their victimisation, or unwilling to report it.

• Victims need to be helped, and the damage they suffer needs to be repaired.

3 Ways of Viewing the Victim (Karmen; 1990)3. Radical Views• Poverty, malnutrition, state-crimes etc should all

be included in victim studies• Crimes of the powerful, and their victims, are

hidden.• Victims need to be empowered with political and

social rights.

Hierarchy of Victimisation (Carrabine; 2000)

Place the following victims of assault/abuse in order of public sympathy on your whiteboard:

• Elderly Person• Homeless Person• Young Man• Child

Hierarchy of Victimisation (Carrabine; 2000)• Some victims enjoy higher status than others i.e.

some are ‘stigmatised’, others are ‘idealised’.• Those that are ‘idealised’ are usually the

vulnerable and the weak.• The hierarchy impacts on how victims are treated

by the justice system.• Feminists link this to the concept of victim-

blaming.

Victim MovementsCampaigning to give victims a voice has brought about various reforms and new approaches e.g.:

• Impact Statements (victims get opportunities to present the impact of their victimisation in court)

• Reconcilliation (victims and offenders meet to discuss the impact of the crime and the reasoning behind it).

Theories/Perspectives

In an exam question on victims, there is lots we have already studied that you can bring in (e.g.):

• Right Realism (victim blaming etc.)• Left Realism (focus on victims; square of crime)• Macpherson Inquiry• Criminal Iceberg (any ‘hidden’ crimes are likely

to have hidden victims)• Clemente & Kleinman (the impact of fear of

crime of the likelihood of being a victim)