Victim Vs Offender Victim Essay

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No one goes about their day with the thought that a crime is going to happen to them. No one thinks the crime that is committed would be done by someone they know or possibly care about. How do victims react when a crime happens to them by a person they are familiar with? When a victim has a crime done to them, the effects can be twice as damaging because they were done by an acquaintance, co-worker, friend, or family member. Anyone is capable of being a victim or offender, and circumstances for punishing the offender can be easy or difficult depending on the victim. The offender-victim overlap involves the relationship between the offenders of a crime and the victims. Not only has research shown the correlation between a victim and their offender, but it has also displayed “victims to be offenders and many offenders turned out to have experienced victimization” (Posick, 2018). The concept stems from the belief that a …show more content…

Even with all the numerous factors that make up an individual, any circumstance could change what role they play in the justice system. Think about how many people are put into a position of committing crimes and others who are forced to be a victim. Some offenders have no other choice but to break the law and victims break the law because they do not want to be a victim anymore. This does not mean that the offender will still not be punished, but at least the justice system can understand why people do what they do. Usually if the victim knows the offender, there is a reason why the offender committed a crime against them, whether it be for financial or vengeful reasons. Having a connection with the offender is what can make it hard for the victim to desire punishment, which is why there are alternative methods of penance for offenders to make it up to the victim. Committing a crime will always result in punishment, but the type of punishment varies depending on the case and

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