Victims and
Victimization
SOC 112
Chapter 3
Violence in America
1.
More violent crime than any other country
- definition:
“Threat, attempt, or use of physical force by one
or more persons that results in physical or nonphysical harm to one or more other persons.”
a. Force
- blow / wound to body
- any weapon / any means
b. Threat
Violence, cont.
- means to accomplish
c. Attempt
- tries to injure / kill
d. Injuries from minor to lethal
2.
Defining violence
- identifying behaviors is difficult
- violence to one / different to another
Violence, cont.
a. Violence to people
- may fit definition you have
(1) Suspect going to assault me
- shoot and kill
- violence?
(2) Fight at football game (Decatur, Illinois)
- African-American youth
- scuffle (Jesse Jackson)
Violence, cont.
(3) Arson of abandoned building
- violent crime?
- transient?
(4) Shooting at road signs
- violent crime?
- innocent bystander?
b. Violence to animal
- animal cruelty?
Violence, cont.
c. What the law says
- listed in penal code
- 3 strikes law = violent crime
- death penalty = violent crime
d. Act / intent
- act legislated a crime
- person intend to commit
e. Crime / violence viewed differently
- crime / should be a crime / how serious
Violence, cont.
3.
Classification
- three types
a. Individual
- violence against the person
b. Interpersonal
- against smaller group / are known
c. Collective
- large number of people / unknown
Patterns and Trends in Violence
1.
Historical patterns
- every aspect of our existence
a. 1760s – 1770s
- nation conceived in violence
- Boston Massacre / Boston Tea Party
- Revolutionary War
b. Colonial to present:
- characterized struggle of American groups
Patterns, cont.
- White / Indian wars
- White / Black confrontations
- Ethnic rivalries
- Agrarian uprisings
- laborers against industrialists
c. Right to life / animal rights
- both use violence
2.
Reasons for violence
- preserve favored social / economic / or political
Patterns, cont.
a. Began with Revolutionary War
- “the end justifies the means”
- was sanctified / was just
b. Americans have never been loath to employ
the most unremitting violence in the interest of
any cause deemed a good one
3.
Civil War – 1861
- violent in its own right
- spin off of violence: pervasive
Patterns, cont.
a. Latter part of 19th century
- KKK / White Caps / Bald Knobbers / Lynch
mobs / night-riders / feudists / outlaws
b. Much traceable to Civil War
- surge in domestic violence
- racial strife
- guerilla raiders (Cantrell)
c. Lynch Law
- became prominent
Patterns, cont.
- “The practice or custom by which persons
are punished for real or alleged crimes
without due process of law.”
d. Colonel Charles Lynch (1767)
- 39 lashes / Tory sympathizers
e. Continued into 19th century
- synonymous with hangings
- organized / spontaneous lynch mob
- together briefly / then breaks up
Patterns, cont.
f. After Civil War
- lynch mobs employed throughout country
- whites as well as blacks
- primarily: southern blacks
- 1882 to 1903: 1,985 blacks lynched
- predominate in South / not restricted
g. Necktie party
- North and West
- vigilantes
Patterns, cont.
4.
Vigilantism
- first phase
- before Civil War
a. Frontier rustlers
- every state west of Appalachians'
- organized / relentless
- a lot east of Mississippi River
b. Reestablish old social structure
- sanctity of property / law and order
Patterns, cont.
c. Frontier elite
- ranchers in control
- social values / preferences
- cattle vs. sheep
d. Included:
- congressmen / governors / lawyers /
capitalists
- young rancher from No. Dakota
- begged to be admitted / band forming
Patterns, cont.
5.
Indian wars
- longest / most remorseless in history
- Indians vs. whites
a. Tidewaters of Virginia (1607)
- continued almost 300 years
- Wounded Knee, So. Dakota (1890)
b. No other factor
- more brutalizing influence
- “just wars”
Patterns, cont.
- promoting superior western civilization
- east coast outraged / scalping of whites
c. Plenty of room: settlement
- reimbursed Native Americans
- lived side by side
d. Took by force
- Sioux Indians: moved to Black Hills
- gold discovered
Patterns, cont.
e. Paiute Indians (Chief Joseph)
- fleeing to Canada / would accept them
- had to kill all
f. Cherokee Indians (Trail of Tears)
- moved to Oklahoma reservation
- oil discovered
g. Apache Indians (Geronimo)
- lied to / moved to Florida
Patterns, cont.
h. Conflict even today
- AIM (1973): Wounded Knee
i. Boldt decision
salmon fishing
j. Casino gambling
- on and off reservation
k. Mineral / oil deposits
- cheating Native Americans
Patterns, cont.
1.
Racial violence: Blacks / Whites
- unequaled in persistence
- primary factor: history of US violence
a. First slave uprising?
- New York City (1711/12)
- put down / great ruthlessness
- slavery also in North
b. New York City (1741): slave conspiracy
- rumors / hysterical rampage
Patterns, cont.
c. Pressure: religious groups / freedom fighters
- slavery illegal in North
- state / federal officials against slavery
d. South continued to imprison
- economic / racist decisions
- land owners = free labor
- whites were superior race
e. Civil War
- brother against brother
Patterns, cont.
- death: tens of thousands
- destruction: cities / towns
- death of a President
2.
After the war
- end of slavery
- slave patrols
- black codes
a. South developed special organization
- deal with black Americans
Patterns, cont.
- Ku Klux Klan
- most consistent feature of American violence
past 140 years (3 periods)
b. First: intimidation
- those working for reconstruction
- freemen: accept renewed rule of whites
- violence / threats used by ‘Old Confederacy’
c. Second: strength / growth
- Atlanta (1915)
Patterns, cont.
- unlike predecessor / successor
- beyond borders of old confederacy
(1) Blacks secondary targets
- Klan against: Catholics / Jews
(2) Focus: white Anglo-Saxon Protestants
- those who accepted black Americans
- whippings / torture / murder
- anger towards their own
Patterns, cont.
d. Third: against civil rights / desegregation
- resurgence restricted to South
- violence: supporters of civil rights
(1) Jim Crow laws
- separate restrooms / drinking fountains
- stores for whites only
- back of bus / give up seat
(2) Used police / courts: legitimize
- deny parade permits / use police brutality
Patterns, cont.
3.
Rioting throughout history
- Boston Tea Party thru today
- race riots / labor riots / abortion riots / sexual
equality riots / religious riots / etc.
a. Characterized by continuous violence
- often intense
b. Results: negative / positive
(1) Negative:
Patterns, cont.
- prison violence / concert violence /
school violence / demonstration violence /
Indian violence / abortion violence
(2) Positive:
- revolutionary violence (independence) /
civil war violence (freeing the slaves) /
vigilante violence (frontier stabilization)
4.
Part of our value structure
- grew up on violence
Patterns, cont.
- gained our societal positions
a. Rejected by majority
- believe still necessary
b. Peaceful assembly / legal system
- did not work
c. Resort to:
- age-old tradition of rioting
Problems of Crime Victims
1.
National Crime Victimization Survey
- 24 million victimizations occur annually
a. Economic loss
- property / productivity: 100’s of billions
(1) System loss
- justice system / legal / treatment: total cost
$450 billion
- $1,800 per US citizen
- psychological / social problems result
Problems, cont.
b. System abuse
- additional victimization by justice system
(calloused police / prosecutor / counselors)
- victimization by medical profession
(adverse treatment of rape victims)
c. Long-term stress
- suffer stress / anxiety long after incident
- adolescent: lower self-esteem / higher risk
- spousal abuse: physical / psychological
Problems, cont.
d. Fear
- fundamental life change / become suspicious
- violent crime most effected
e. Antisocial behavior
- more likely to commit crimes
- neglect / physical-sexual abuse as a child:
increase odds a victim will later be arrested
(1) “Cycle of violence”
Patterns, cont.
- abuse/crime phenomenon
(2) More likely to engage in violent behavior:
- target of physical abuse
- exposed to violent behavior among adults
- exposed to weapons
2.
Nature of victimization
a. Social ecology
- take place in open / public areas
Patterns, cont.
- commercial (daytime / early evening)
- more serious: after 6 p.m.
- less serious: during the day
b. Victim’s household
- black / western / urban = most vulnerable
- white / northeastern / rural = less vulnerable
- home owner’s = less vulnerable than renters
c. Victim characteristics
Pattern, cont.
(1) Gender
- males more likely (rape / sexual assault)
- females: someone they know
- males: strangers
- gender differences = narrowing
(2) Age
- tied to lifestyle
- young people: greater victimization
- elderly: fraud / scams
- elder abuse: up 150% since 1986
Pattern, cont.
(3) Social status
- poor: more likely violent / property crime
- wealthy: highest for personal theft crimes
(4) Marital status
- never married: victimized more
- widows / widowers: lowest risk
(5) Race and ethnicity
- blacks more likely than whites
- black victimization: declining
Pattern, cont.
(6) Repeat victimization
- prior victims: higher chance future crime
- chronic / repeat: personal characteristic
(a) Target vulnerability
- physical / psychological weakness
- makes easy target
(b) Target gratifiability
- attractive possessions offender wants
- clothing / car / etc.
Patterns, cont.
(c) Target antagonism
- characteristics: make offender angry
/ jealous
- smart / good looking / popular / etc.
3.
Victims and their criminals
- most crimes: single offender over age 20
- tend to be intra-racial
- relatives / acquaintances: over 50% violent crime
- common among family members (siblicide)
Theories of Victimization
1.
Victim Precipitation Theory
- people invite the confrontation
a. Active precipitation
- victim acts provocatively
- fighting words / threats / attack first
b. Passive precipitation
- exhibits personal characteristic unknowingly
- threatens / encourages attacker
Theories, cont.
2.
Lifestyle Theory
- increases exposure to criminal offenders
a. High-risk lifestyles
- drinking / drugs / crime / runaways
b. Victims and criminals
- criminal career: predispose one to be a victim
3. Deviant Place Theory
Theories, cont.
- victim prone: live in socially disorganized
high-crime area
a. Deviant places are poor
- densely populated
- highly transient neighborhoods
b. Residents try to protect
- they live with motivated offenders
- or they try to move
Theories, cont.
4.
Routine Activities Theory
- volume / distribution of predatory crime
- related to interaction of 3 variables:
a. Availability of suitable targets
- homes with salable goods
b. Absence of capable guardians
- police / homeowners / neighbors / friends /
relatives
Theories, cont.
- motivated offender presence: unemployed
teens
5.
Caring for the victim (government response)
- 1982: Task Force on Victim’s of Crime (Reagan)
- 1983: Omnibus Victim / Witness Protection Act
- 1984: Comprehensive Crime Control Act and
Victims of Crime Act
a. Victim Service Programs
- 2,000 victim/witness assistance programs
Caring, cont.
(1) Victim compensation
- receive from state for crime losses
- most states: lack of funding
- medical / wages / counseling / assistance
(2) Court services
- how to be a witness / bail / threats
- provide transportation / escort to court
(3) Crisis intervention
- refer to area agencies (food / shelter)
Caring, cont.
(4) Victim-Offender Reconciliation
- mediators: facilitate face-to-face talks
- direct encounter: victim and offender
b. Victim’s Rights
- every state has victim’s “Bill of Rights”
- national constitutional amendment sought
c. Victim Advocacy
- lobby for victims
- police / courts / media / politicians / etc
Caring, cont.
d. Self-Protection
- concern for community safety
(1) Target hardening
- home / business crime proof
- locks / alarms / lights / other devices
(2) Fighting back
- guns for defensive purposes
- block watches / neighborhood patrols