In this paper I will discuss victimhood, identifying what makes an ‘ideal victim’, the different types of victims and why some individuals are unwilling to accept the label ‘victim’ referring back to Crime Victims – Theory, Policy and Practice by Basia Spalek. I have identified what makes an ‘ideal victim’ I will discuss victimology perspectives and how a positivist perspective differs from a feminist perspective and how radical perspectives broaden our understanding of victimhood.
The Victim of Crimes Act (SA) defines a victim in relation to an offence as a person who suffers harm as a result of the commission of the offence (but does not include a person who was a party to the commission of the offence).
Crime Victims – Theory, Policy and
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When someone is a victim to natural disaster it is believed that they are entitled to concern but not obligation.
Crime Victims – Theory, Policy and Practice by Basia Spalek also discusses the notion of an ‘ideal victim’ which portrays that an ideal victim is a victim who has played no part in his or her victimisation described as being ‘innocent’ and has an ideal offender which is described as being ‘evil’. It goes on to further explain that the elderly, children and women often receive more sympathy from the public than the average working class men. Police are often denied the label of victim if injuries are sustained in the course of their duties, they are portrayed as brave and their victimisation is
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Some victim’s survival skills are less socially acceptable and generates controversy about whether or not they are a ‘real’ victim.
It also highlights that it may change the way that the victim perceives themselves to the point where they may not accept the label ‘victim’ which may result in a decrease of amount of help they would generally receive.
Victims are reluctant to accept and may oppose the label of ‘victim’ because of the perceived stereotype that a victim is passive and helpless. Gender, race or class is also likely to influence whether or not a victim is reluctant to accept the label of ‘victim’.
A ‘survivor’ rather than ‘victim’ notion has been proposed, to acknowledge active resistance on behalf of the victim and challenging idealised notions of victim passivity. This has been largely promoted by feminist. It empowers victims. That being said victims are likely to transition between the label ‘victim’ and ‘survivor’. Occasionally victims will display characteristics such as helplessness or fragility to increase the likelihood of a
Victimology is the scientific study of the physical, emotional, and financial harm people suffer from illegal activities. A common struggle Victimologists face is determining who the victim is. In general, crimes don 't have an “ideal victim”. The term ideal victims refer to someone who receives the most sympathy from society (Christie, 2016). An example of this would be a hardworking, honest man who on his way to work, had his wallet taken by force. Most people in society would have sympathy for him. He spent his life making an honest living to earn what he has and was a victim of a robbery. Victimologists study the interactions victims have with criminals, society, and the criminal justice system (Karmen, 2015). According to (Karmen, 2015)
Victimology is a scientific research and study with insights on the issues and patterns of victimization. These issues lead to inquiries regarding relationships of the parties, the vulnerabilities of the victim, and the attacker’s affect upon the victim and the other individuals that surrounded said victim. Understanding the relationships, the victim, the attacker, and the crime open up theories to patterns developed from such victimization. Moving through this process in preparing, equipping, and training for said crimes enhances
Nils Christie’s theory on an idea victim consists of certain category’s that may vary for each victim(Christie (1986). From Christie’s theory it is said that the victim could be an old or young lady that has cared for her elderly sister, and if she has been hit on the head by a big man and he grabs her bag and uses the money for alcohol or drugs(Christie (1986). Attributes that Christie came up with is the victim is weaker than the ‘big and bad’ offender. In regards to the rape victim would be a young virgin on her way home from visiting sick relatives’ (Christie (1986).
Be summing up, victims have a vital role to play in bringing criminal to justice. By having the courage to stand up and be a witness you can prevent further crimes happening and protects others from becoming a victim. And as many criminal justice official acknowledge that victims are central to effective crime investigation and prosecution. Although several initiatives have been developed to make court more friendly to witnesses; and there is still a need for them to be more responsive to the wellbeing victim’s family and all that concerns them and not just the victim.
The term ideal-victim came from the works of Nils Christie and according to him this victim is a person or a category of individuals that when hit by a crime they are given the complete
Elias, R. (1986). Rising Stars: Victims and Victimology. The Politics of Victimization: Victims, Victimology and Human Rights. New York. Oxford University Press, 9-26.
Secondly, dominant ideologies in the media represent criminals as demoralized and dangerous individuals while, on the other hand, police officers are depicted as “honest and heroic public servants” (Hirschfield and Simon 2010: 155). In turn, these forms of ideologies lead to individuals blaming the victims for their experienced abuse. In addition, according to William Ryan (1976: 3) the formula for blaming the victim is, “justifying inequality by finding defects in the victims of inequality”. In other words, blaming the victim occurs when the victim of a crime is held accountable for the violence that they endured. Thus, the victim of the crime is blamed for his or her suffering. In addition, as mentioned above, dominant ideologies which
effective at holding perpetrators accountable. The nation, military, and criminal justice system has shifted from victim focus to offender focus. The historical development of the crime victims’ movement has altered perceptions of crime and the treatment of crime victims. Over the last three decades, the crime victims’ movement has emerged as a powerful source of social, legal, and political change. The women’s movement, as well as the law and order movement, led more directly to the emergence of a clearly defined crime victims’ movement. The history of this movement is divided into six stages, each denoting new developments in victim involvement and services, changes in service providers’ attitudes, new theoretical concepts, and ongoing legal
Everyone has been impacted by crime victimization at some point in their life. While not all will experience first-hand victimization, the impact effects many people. Understanding a person’s past victimization will aid in determining their strengths and needs. The world we live in is not perfect, people are messy, everyone has a story, and it is our job as human service professionals to serve each client with a holistic approach. It is often said that human service professionals enter the field because their own past experiences led them to want to help others through traumatizing, victimizing experiences as they were helped.
…many people now acquire "victimhood" through counseling. Being a "victim" draws sympathy. It explains the tragedies, the failures, the hardships, the health problems and the disappointments of life. It relieves people of some of life's natural burdens: dealing with complexity, facing things beyond their control, and accepting responsibility for decisions and actions.
When the victim does not fit the ideal victim attributes which society has familiarised themselves with, it can cause complications and confusion. Experts have noticed there is already a significant presence of victim blaming, especially for cases involving both genders. The fear of being blamed and rejected by the public is prominent in all victims. Victim blaming proclaims the victim also played a role in the crime by allowing the crime to occur through their actions (Kilmartin and Allison, 2017, p.21). Agarin (2014, p.173) underlines the problem of victim blaming is due to the mass of social problems and misconceptions within society. The offender can have “an edge in court of public opinion” if victim blaming exists, resulting in the prevention of the case accomplishing an effective deduction in court (Humphries, 2009, p.27). Thus, victims will become more reluctant to report offences because of their decrease in trust in the police and criminal justice system, leading to the dark figure of
In recent years, the subject of crime has become an increasingly important theme of political, academic, and public debate. In particular, the media today is more focused on victims than it has ever been before. Through media representations of the ‘ideal victim’, this essay will subsequently show how the media are able to construct and re-affirm pre-existing traditional ideologies within the public realm. In effect, this assignment will critically assess the concept of an ‘ideal victim’ and show how the media have used this when describing crime.
There are many different types of victims we have discussed over the course of this class, but we’re only going to talk about two types in the following paper. These two types of victims are common just as any another victim across America. These include sex assault victims and child abuse victims, which are both primary victims in cases. The two share a tie together, both are a victim of abuse and can cause lifelong consequences, but they also pose many differences as well. Many questions arise when talking about victims, for example why is a child or adult being abused and what are the life altering affects to these actions. Throughout this paper we discuss both sexual assault victims and child abuse victims and compare and contrast between the two.
Understanding the theories of victimology is important to understand the victims, we need to understand the four main theories of victimization. These theories are the principals of victim assessment. It will give the officer the tools to understand the motive behind the victimization giving him different types of views to analyze the victim. The four main theories of victimization are: Victim Precipitation, Lifestyle, Deviant Place, and Routine Activity. These four theories according to victimology give us the idea of how the victim become to be a victim. The word Victimization meanings “an act that exploits or victimizes someone” and “adversity resulting from being made a victim” (Vocabulary.com. Dictionary Victimization (2017)). By understanding the victim and the influences of their social life is important so we can give the victim the treatment and
Once we have determined who is a victim and how that determination is applicable to them we must determine the victim reaction after the crime. Will they seek help and report the crime? How will they react to the community’s response? The latter which leads to the fourth broad question of general victimology which is how society will, in turn, react to the victim after the crime (Doerner & Lab, 2012).