VICTIM

&
VICTIMOLOGY
PREPARED BY: A NA LY N S . R A M I R E Z
EZRA L. GRAMAJE
 COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will learn about victimology, victims and
theories of victimization.
Identify the different types of victims, victims of
certain crimes.
Discuss the Demographic of Criminal Victimization
Upon completion, students will have a solid
foundation in the concepts of victimology.
VICTIMOLOGY
Is a multidisciplinary branch of criminology, based on
research in criminal justice, psychology, public health,
anthropology, history and economics

Is the study of the etiology or cause of victimization,

its consequences, how the criminal justice system
accommodates and assist victims and how other
elements of society, such as media, deal with the crime
victims.
The field of victimology includes victim profiling,
forensic victimology, and the scientific study of
victim that focuses on their lifestyles,
circumstances, the events leading up to the
crime, and the nature of their victimization.
BENJAMIN MENDELSOHN
-A French- Israeli Attorney was the “Father of
Victimology”. His study in tis area began when he
became intrigued by the dynamics on the
relationship between the injured party and the
offender.
 The Demographics of Criminal Victimization
Men are victimized at higher rates that women are. For every
offense except sexual assault or rape and simple assault, men
have higher victimization rates than women.

Males report that they are almost as likely to be victimized by

someone known to them (51%) as they are by strangers(49%).
Females most often are victimized by someone they
know. Females report that more than three fourths (78%)
of those who violently victimize them are known to
them. Women are much more likely to be violently
victimized by family members, spouses, boyfriends, or
other persons known to them.

The relational phenomenon is known as Intimate

Victimization.
 Situational Characteristics of Victimization

Victimization is more likely to occur in a places where

there is a high density of high risk social groups.
Urban centers hold the bulk of those living at or below
the poverty level in the United States and the
victimization rate for cities reflects this fact. In 2002,
urban residents had a rate of violent victimization nearly
1.5 times that of rural residents. Suburban and rural
residents were victimized at similar rates.
VICTIMIZATION
◦ - Is the process of being victimized or becoming a victim.

VICTIM
- means a persons who individually or collectively have
suffered harm which include physical or mental injury,
emotional sufferings or economic loss or substantial
impairment of fundamental rights through acts or omission
that are in violations of criminal laws operative within
member states, including those laws prescribing criminal
abuse of power.
EMERGENCE OF VICTIMOLOGY AND ITS PIONEERS

1.The Golden Age( Victim Justice System)

2. The Dark Age( Criminal Oriented- justice system)
3.Reemergence of the Victim( Victim and Offender
Relationship
 Theories to Explain Criminal Victimization
1. The Lifestyle – Exposure Theory
- it implies that demographic characteristics, such as age, gender or
income, role expectations, and structural constraints have an influence
on daily activities and increase the likelihood of victimization.

- these theory seek to explain why victimization can differ in quantity

but remain in the same in quality.

-In cities being researched, it was found that youths are at a much
greater a risk of victimization than older persons, and men had
substantially higher rates of victimization than women.
2.Routine Activities Theory
- It was developed after observing an increase in crime
rates such as robbery, forcible rape, homicide, assault
and etc. For a crime to occur these are the three
minimal elements; (1) Motivated Offender, (2) suitable
targets, (3) the absence of capable guardians against
violation
3. Victim precipitation Theory
- Maintains that some people instigate or initiate a particular
confrontation that may in end lead to that person becoming
victimized by injury or death.
4. Deviant Place Theory
- these theory holds that victim do not motivate crime but
rather are more likely to become victims due to the fact that
they live in social areas that are disorganized and contain high
crime rates and therefore have the highest risk of coming into
contact with criminals regardless of their lifestyle or behavior.
 Role of Victim in Crime
1. Victim Precipitation
- victim is responsible for his or her own victimization.
2. Victim Facilitation
- occurs when a victim unintentionally make it easier for an offender to
commit a crime.
3. Victim Provocation
-this occurs when a person does something that incites another person
to commit an illegal
4. Victim Blaming
- devaluing act that occurs when the victim of a crime or an accident is
held responsible in whole or part of the crimes that have been committed
against them.
 Factors Typology of Victim
Characteristics
1. Reassurance –Oriented Victims
- strives to restore or reinforce their level of self-esteem or self- worth
through difference behaviors.
2.Assertive- Oriented Victims
- are also driven by low self-esteem but focus their efforts to restore
their self worth through the derogation of others.
3. Anger Retaliatory Oriented Victims
- these anger comes from a feeling of inadequacy or failure and as a
result they often blame others for their problems whether for real or
perceived.
4.Pervasively Oriented Victims
- anger is the result of a generalized state that is pervasive.

5. Excitation – Oriented Victims

- is the most difficult to adapt from the offenders typologies.
( Sadism and Masochism)
6. Materially Oriented Victim
- is engaged in behaviors that serve material or personal
gain such as monetary or through the acquisition of
goods
7. Preservation – Oriented Victim
- are those that engage in “strike back” behaviors against
a real or perceived oppressor or sources of psychological
stress or torment.
 Crime Victim’s Rights Act
The New law, known as the Crime Victim’s Right Act, is the most
successful effort of the crime victim’s right movement to date.
The law amends Title 18( Part ii, chapter 25/Section 3771) of the Federal
Criminal Code.
Federal law now guarantees crime victims the following rights:
- The right to be reasonably protected, notified, present and heard at
various stages in the criminal justice system.
- The right to confer with the prosecutor
- The right to receive restitution
- The right to expect proceedings free from unreasonable delay.