Chapter 1
Victimization: Theories
and Reporting Measures
Introduction
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Victimology
crime victims and their relationship to
offenders
unlike criminology
Violence & the Fear of Crime
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Gang and youth violence, racial and hate crimes, terrorism,
and domestic violence, including child and elder abuse.
The number of homicides.
The recent surge of school shootings
Sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area
September 11, 2001
Past victimizations
Media
Accounts of violent crime
Interacting with people who are knowledgeable about or have
witnessed crime
Fear of Crime
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The concept of who is fearful and who
should be fearful of victimization is
referred to as the fear–victimization
paradox.
Crime & Victimization Data
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Survey of 2003, U.S. residents age 12
years or older experienced an estimated
24.2 million violent and property
victimizations.
Approximately 37 million people have
been injured during the previous two
decades by criminal activities.
Sources of Data on Crime and
Victimization
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The Uniform Crime Report
The National Crime Victimization Survey
Uniform Crime Report
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Begun in 1930
Published annually,
Includes offenses reported to law
enforcement agencies
Dark Figure of Crime
Arrests & Offender Demographics
Violent Criminal Apprehension Program
(VICAP)
The National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS)
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Source of victimization data
Begun in 1972
Seeks detailed information on the victim
Impact of Victimization
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Economic costs
Emotional costs
Lost time from work
Medical treatment
Pain & suffering
Reduced quality of life
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Avoidance Phenomena
Battered-women’s syndrome
Rape Trauma Syndrome
Review of Early Victimization
Theory
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Dates back to 1940’s
Hans von Hentig
Mendelshon (1963)
Hentig’s Victim Classification
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Personal factors
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Social
Psychological
Biological
Hentig’s Victim Classification
(continued)
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Young
Females
Elderly
Mentally defective
Immigrants
Minorities
Dull normal’s
Depressed
Acquisitive
Lonesome & heartbroken
Tormentors
Blocked, exempted and fighting victims
Mendelshon’s Typology
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Innocent victim
Victim-precipitated crimes
Victim with minor guilt
Victim as guilty as the offender
Victim is more guilty than the offender
Most guilty victim
Modern Victimization Theory
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Cultural Trappings
Structural Violence
Victim Precipitation Theory
Active Precipitation
Passive Precipitation
Spatial relations & victimization
Other concepts
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Broken windows theory
Defensible space theory
Routine Activities Theory
The New Technology
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Cybercrime
Chapter 2
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Victims of Intimate Violence
Introduction
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Intimate violence
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Murder
Rape
Robbery
Assault
Stalking behaviors
The Stalking Problem
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Often a prelude to violence
By former partners, acquaintances or
strangers
1989 – first recognized stalking case
Categories of Stalking
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Simple obsession
Love obsession
Erotomania
False victimization syndrome
Behaviors of Stalking
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Watching or following someone
Making threatening or harassing phone calls
or hangups
Sending hate mail
Making verbal threats
Vandalizing personal property
Making drive-bys
Sending unwanted love notes, flowers, gifts
Anti-stalking Legislation
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To stop those who threaten and harass
before they commit violent acts
Restraining Orders
U.S. v. Dixon (1993)
Federal Law on Stalking
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Baker v. US
The Psychological and Social
Consequences of Stalking
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Has a mental health impact
Concerned about physical safety
Carry a weapon
Lose of time from work
Major lifestyle changes
Intimate Partner Violence
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Actual or threatened physical or sexual
violence
Psychological/emotional abuse
Domestic abuse
Spouse abuse
Courtship violence
Battering
Marital rape
Date rape
Simple facts of Intimate
Partner Violence
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Nearly 25% of women have been raped
by an intimate partner
Many victims do not report their attacks
Men are also victims
Many homeless come from violent
situations
Extended Victims of Partner
Violence
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Children
Explaining Partner Violence
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Amount of time together
Conflicting interests
Tensions in family interactions
Age and generational differences
Finances
Lack of privacy
Types of Spousal Battering
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Psychological abuse
Emotional abuse
Economic abuse
Sexual abuse
Physical abuse
Legal abuse
Alcohol abuse
Cycle of Violence
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Phase 1 – Tension Building
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Stress
Frustration
Low self-esteem
Poor communication
Cycle of Violence
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Phase 2 – Explosion
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Fight
Anger
Fear
Cycle of Violence
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Phase 3 – Honeymoon
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Guilt
Remorse
“I’ll never do it again”
Recognizing a Potentially
Abusive Partner
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Jealous or possessive
Controlling
Threatening
History of violence
Substance abuse
History of bad relationships/poor employment
Prior assault
Blamer
Behaviors of Batters who Kill
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Threats of homicide or suicide
Fantasies of homicide or suicide
Weapons
Obsessive ness about partner or family
Pet abuse
Rage
The Law and Domestic
Violence
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Thurman v. City of Torrington (1984)
Mandatory Arrest Laws
Elder Abuse and Neglect
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Financial abuse
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Neglect
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Passive neglect
Active neglect
Nursing Home Negligence
Child Abuse and Neglect
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Abuse
Neglect
Symptoms of Child Abuse
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Aversion to a relative, neighbor or baby-sitter
Change in eating patterns
Sudden lack of interest or achievement in
school
Sudden desire for privacy
Irritation of the genital areas
Signs of increased anxiety or immature
behavior
Victims of Rape and Sexual
Violence
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Martial Rape
Date Rape/Dating Violence
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Date rape drugs
Chapter 3
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Stranger Violence and Victimization
Robbery
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Feloniously taking property by means of
force or threat
Home Invasion Robbery
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Target residents unknown to the invader
Rely on stealth and surprise
Carjacking
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Theft or attempted theft of a motor
vehicle by force or threat
Primarily a local crime problem
Murders & Assaults by
Strangers
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Wolfgang research (1958)
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Primary homicide
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Against non strangers or acquaintances
Secondary homicide
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Stranger homicide
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Arguments
Juvenile gang killings
Drug dealing
Due a robbery
Murders & Assaults by
Strangers (continued)
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Spontaneous Murders
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Encounters between strangers resulting in
murder
Unwanted encounter
Substance abuse
Weapon
Felony murders
Directed Targets
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Serial Killers
Murder from hate or bias
Types of Serial Killers
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Visionary killers
Mission-oriented killers
Hedonistic killers
Power-oriented killers
Bias and Hate-Motivated
Crimes
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Domestic terrorists
Bias crimes
Hate and Bias Crime Legislation
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Church Arson Prevention (1996)
Hate Crimes Prevention Act (1999)