KRM 220
SECTION A: OVERVIEW OF AND CONCEPTS OF
VICTIMOLOGY
Victim was previously merely seen as witness/plaintiff as emphasis
was placed on the offender in the CJS.
Victimology emerged due to contributions by exponents such as
Von Hentig and Mendelsohn, their main focus –
o Characteristics of victims,
o Interactions and relationships between victims and offenders,
o How victim’s behaviour precipitated/facilitated crime.
3 Victimology paradigms focusing on relationships between a
victim and offender:
o Conservative law and order paradigm – victim = person that
personally suffers harm, loss or injury. Offender carries all
the blame and victim is regarded as blameless. Need for
victim rights in emphasized.
o Radical victimology paradigm – diffusion of roles between
victim and offender, offender = someone who misuses his
power. Focus on dynamics between offender and victim.
Victim is not entirely blameless, used in United Nations
Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime
and Abuse of Power. Victims seen as important as long as
long it doesn’t interfere with rights of offender.
o Critical victimology paradigm – CJS should be
abolished/influence it has should be drastically reduced.
, Offenders viewed as victims and society blamed for crimes.
Crime = reaction to society within which offenders live and
work. Society = real offender.
Viano answers the question of how we determine whether
someone is a victim, person has to proceed through all 4 stages to
be seen as a victim –
o Person is injured/suffers at hand of another
person/institution.
o Injured person perceives suffering as unjust and undeserved,
regards themselves as being victimized.
o Person will look outside themselves towards significant
others/helping organizations/CJS for recognition of the fact
that they have become a victim.
o Only when other people recognize and acknowledge that the
person has been victimized, will that person be regarded as
a victim.
Secondary victimization –
o Already experienced victimization.
o Victimized again by insensitive treatment of those that were
supposed to protect and assist them in aftermath of crime.
o Police, family, doctors, etc…
Repeat victimization –
o Repeatedly victimized, falling victim to a crime more than
once.
o Finkelhor and Asigian identified characteristics that increase
potential for repeat victimizations:
Target vulnerability: physical weakness
(biological/social vulnerability).
, Target gratifiability: persons who own valuable goods
that offender wants to obtain.
Target antagonism: personal characteristics such as
being part of a minority group.
Precipitation:
o Encourages offender’s behaviour.
o Active precipitation: provoking the offender.
o Passive precipitation: unconsciously antagonizing offender.
o Links with Just World Hypothesis (bad things happen to bad
people).
o Results in victim blaming.
o Victim defending view: offender would’ve offended in any
case, no matter what the victim did, crime will not be
prevented by educating victims as offender will find another
way/person to offend. Victims often cannot change their
lifestyle to avoid crime.
Facilitation:
o Victim unknowingly, careless or negligently makes it easier
for criminal to commit crime.
Impunity:
o Some individuals are more vulnerable because they make it
easier for the offender to get away with the crime.
SECTION A: OVERVIEW OF AND CONCEPTS OF
VICTIMOLOGY
Victim was previously merely seen as witness/plaintiff as emphasis
was placed on the offender in the CJS.
Victimology emerged due to contributions by exponents such as
Von Hentig and Mendelsohn, their main focus –
o Characteristics of victims,
o Interactions and relationships between victims and offenders,
o How victim’s behaviour precipitated/facilitated crime.
3 Victimology paradigms focusing on relationships between a
victim and offender:
o Conservative law and order paradigm – victim = person that
personally suffers harm, loss or injury. Offender carries all
the blame and victim is regarded as blameless. Need for
victim rights in emphasized.
o Radical victimology paradigm – diffusion of roles between
victim and offender, offender = someone who misuses his
power. Focus on dynamics between offender and victim.
Victim is not entirely blameless, used in United Nations
Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime
and Abuse of Power. Victims seen as important as long as
long it doesn’t interfere with rights of offender.
o Critical victimology paradigm – CJS should be
abolished/influence it has should be drastically reduced.
, Offenders viewed as victims and society blamed for crimes.
Crime = reaction to society within which offenders live and
work. Society = real offender.
Viano answers the question of how we determine whether
someone is a victim, person has to proceed through all 4 stages to
be seen as a victim –
o Person is injured/suffers at hand of another
person/institution.
o Injured person perceives suffering as unjust and undeserved,
regards themselves as being victimized.
o Person will look outside themselves towards significant
others/helping organizations/CJS for recognition of the fact
that they have become a victim.
o Only when other people recognize and acknowledge that the
person has been victimized, will that person be regarded as
a victim.
Secondary victimization –
o Already experienced victimization.
o Victimized again by insensitive treatment of those that were
supposed to protect and assist them in aftermath of crime.
o Police, family, doctors, etc…
Repeat victimization –
o Repeatedly victimized, falling victim to a crime more than
once.
o Finkelhor and Asigian identified characteristics that increase
potential for repeat victimizations:
Target vulnerability: physical weakness
(biological/social vulnerability).
, Target gratifiability: persons who own valuable goods
that offender wants to obtain.
Target antagonism: personal characteristics such as
being part of a minority group.
Precipitation:
o Encourages offender’s behaviour.
o Active precipitation: provoking the offender.
o Passive precipitation: unconsciously antagonizing offender.
o Links with Just World Hypothesis (bad things happen to bad
people).
o Results in victim blaming.
o Victim defending view: offender would’ve offended in any
case, no matter what the victim did, crime will not be
prevented by educating victims as offender will find another
way/person to offend. Victims often cannot change their
lifestyle to avoid crime.
Facilitation:
o Victim unknowingly, careless or negligently makes it easier
for criminal to commit crime.
Impunity:
o Some individuals are more vulnerable because they make it
easier for the offender to get away with the crime.
