Crime Victims: An Introduction to
Victimology
Seventh Edition
By Andrew Karmen
Chapter Six:
Victims and the Criminal Justice
System: Cooperation and
Conflict, Part 1: The Police
1
How the System Handles Victims
 Criticisms: Box 6.1, page 146
– Police
– Prosecutor
– Judges
– Corrections
The system creates more conflict than resolution
for victims
2
What Do Victims Want,
Punishment or Restitution?
 Three Goals
– I.
Punish offenders
– II. Compel lawbreakers to undergo
rehabilitative treatment
– III. Repay victims for losses and injuries they
suffered
3
What Do Victims Want?
 I. Punishment
– Retribution—morally sound practice
– Make examples of criminal—provided
deterrence theory really works
– Incapacitate
– Satisfies victim thirst for revenge
– Prevents future vigilantism
4
What Do Victims Want?
 Punishment continued—
 Opponents of this utilitarian approach have
documented that punishment:
– Results in high rates of imprisonment
– Is expensive
– Is often impractical
– Can be ineffective and even impractical
5
What Do Victims Want?
 II. Rehabilitation
– Some victims want professionals to help
offenders become decent, productive, law
abiding citizens. Do not want other victims.
– Victims most likely to endorse rehabilitation if
the offender was NOT a complete stranger.
– Victims may become dismayed when “heavy
handed” policies drive the offender to become
more violent and attain new heights of antisocial
conduct.
6
What Do Victims Want?
 III. Restitution
– Some victims want restitution rather than retribution or
rehabilitation
– Want to recoup losses and pay bills incurred as result of
the crime
– Loss of pay, medical expenses, household bills unpaid
due to being out of work
7
Victims and the Police
 Reporting Incidents
– Combined reporting rate (NCVS) in 2006=41%
of all crimes—Table 6.1, page 150
– Most likely to report crimes brandishing
weapons, physical injuries, or substantial
financial loss
– Of the violent crimes, aggravated assaults are
most often reported; rapes least often
8
Victims and the Police
– Records indicate police are aware of 50% of
violent crimes and 39% of property crimes in
their jurisdiction
– Citizens not required to inform authorities of
crimes committed against them on their
property. However, if they conspire or
collaborate in a cover-up to conceal a serious
crime, they can be charged with “misprision of a
felony.”
9
Victims and the Police
 Responding Quickly
– Want police to respond quickly and apprehend
offender
– Calls are prioritized by dispatchers
– Victims often call relatives or friends first
– Sometimes there is a lag in time between the
crime and its discovery
– Witness verifies and renders needed assistance
before calling police
– Table 6.2, page 152 shows nationwide
response times, 1990-2006
10
Victims and the Police
 Police Investigating Complaints
– Handling Victims with Care
 Officers can seem disinterested, remote,
unconcerned about plight of victim
 Police sometime doubt the victim’s credibility and
discontinue investigation
 Emotional detachment is a necessary defense
against burning out
11
Victims and the Police
 Many police departments conducting
training to assist officers with victim issues
 Teach how to administer psychological first
aid
 Learning importance of responding quickly,
listening attentively, showing concern and
refraining from challenging the victim’s
version
12
Victims and the Police
 Complaints
– Founded—verified by police
– Unfounded—police reject claims
– Defounded—police believe a crime occurred but
not as serious as reported
Police accused of misclassification of above to
make statistics look better for themselves and
department or workload too great
13
Victims and the Police
 Investigating Complaints/Solving Crimes
– Homicides—1/2 of all closed cases solved within a
week. 93% of those solved are solved within a year.
– Homicides: 61% overall cleared
– Larceny—17% cleared successfully
– Vehicle Theft—13% cleared successfully
– Robberies—25% cleared
– Rape—59% no attacker arrested
– Aggravated Assault—46% no arrests made
– See Table 6.3, page 159: Trends In Clearance Rates
14
Victims and the Police
 Law enforcement has a duty to notify victim
of their rights when complaint lodged
 Victims expect police to keep them informed
of investigative progress
– 34% of agg. assault victims advised of arrest
while 54% of cases solved
– 13% of burglaries solved while only 7% of
victims notified
15
Victims and the Police
 Recovering Stolen Property—unlike
clearance rates, no good data of recovery
 Table 6.5, page 164 reflects Trends in
Stolen Property Recovery Rates, 1980-2006
 Data remains fairly consistent through the
years
 Recovered property often kept by police for
evidence to be used in a trial
16
Victims and the Police
 VICTIM-ORIENTED POLICE DEPT
– A vital component of a Community Oriented
Police Department
– Police departments must consider a revamp of
their operations and reconsider their priorities to
deal with the victim’s concerns
17
Key Terms
Community
Policing
Misprision of a
Felony
Second Wound
Burnout
Unfounding
Defounding
Clearance Rates
Cold Case
Squads
Citizen’s Arrest
Performance
Measures
18