Victomology in Domestic Violence

1496 Words3 Pages

From the origins of criminal victimization, we begin with blaming the offended. (Silverii). Still what is more baffling is to question whether or not it is one's duty to make sure victims won't be victimized again or if victims of a crime that are unreported should even be considered victims. There are three main issues that are provided through victimology and these are context, connections, and investigative direction (Turvey). Most victims are not just victims they're perceived by a criminal as an ideal victim. An ‘ideal victim’ is someone who has played no part in their victimization by an offender who was solely responsible for the incident. In the early 1970s, research by the National Opinion Research Center and the President's Commission on Law Enforcement, and the Administration of Justice indicated that many crimes were not reported to police. A lot of times victims are not prepared for the insensitive and unpleasant treatment they may incur from the police, hospitals, and judicial system. In response, the U.S. Census Bureau began conducting the annual National Crime Victimization Survey in 1973. The survey provides the largest national forum for victims to describe the impact of crime and characteristics of violent offenders. The data includes type of crime, month, time, and location of the crime; relationship between victim and offender; characteristics of the offender; self-protective actions taken by the victim during the incident and results of those actions; consequences of the victimization; type of property lost; whether the crime was reported to the police and reasons for reporting or not reporting; and offender use of weapons, drugs, and alcohol.

One crime in particular that often goes ignored is domestic viol...

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... is more emphasis on the rights of the victim, not the rights of the criminal, it may help the effect it has on their the psyche, and standing within a community should not be ignored. We must continue to train our professionals whether that’s law enforcement, counselors, or physicians that no matter how demented or unreal the story may seem; to exhaust every avenue to the best of their knowledge to aid the victim. It is not for them to decide what did and did not occur to the victim. In turn, they may not get the help they need. Victimology is important in the overall investigative process because it not only tells us who the victims were, their health and personal history, social habits and personality, but also provides persuasions as to why they were selected as victims. To disregard the victim as a part of the crime will be absent in information from the get-go.

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