Victimology Vs Criminology

Criminologists, psychologists and other scientists have been interested in the study of criminal behavior for years. There is a strong demand and need to know why certain individuals become victims. Many studies have been done on differing victims to learn who and why they are susceptible to victimization.

Dr. Larry J. Siegel defines criminology as, “the scientific study of the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior”. He goes on to define victimology as “the study of the victim’s role in criminal events.” With these two definitions the differences stand out; criminology is the study of criminal behavior whereas victimology studies the victims of the crimes. We can further delve into the victims and why they become victims

There is a strong demand and need to know why certain individuals become victims. Many studies have been done on differing victims to learn who and why they are susceptible to victimization. Johan Thorsten Sellin, an American sociologists and considered to be one of the pioneers of scientific criminology, together with Marvin Eugene Wolfgang, also an American sociologist and criminologist came up with five victim typologies in 1964. Based on their classifications, it is explained why victims become victims and those they are victimized. (Meadows, 2001).

Sellin and Wolfgang classified the five typologies as: primary victimization, secondary victimization, tertiary victimization, mutual victimization, and no victimization.

Primary victimization is personal victimization (Meadows, 2001). This is described as an actual individual or group of individuals become first hand victims of a crime. Examples given are hate crimes or domestic violence. (Meadows, 2001).

Secondary victimization is when a person gets victimized inadvertently as a result of a crime (Meadows, 2007). Murder can be an example of a secondary victimization. When an individual is murdered in a heinous act, those involved with that person become the victims due to the crime. A spouse, children, siblings and/or parents are secondary victims of the crime

As Meadows (2001) points out, crimes committed by the government would be in this category. An example of a tertiary victimization would be the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The United States Naval destroyer made false claims of having been attacked by the North Vietnamese Navy. This lie is what led the United States being drawn into the Vietnam war , costing billions of dollars and tens of thousands lives lost. (Cohan & Soloman).

Mutual victimization is when a criminal is retaliated against and becomes a victim him or herself (Meadows, 2001). This could be when a child is abused by an individual causing psychological and/or physical damage to the child. The parent of the child becomes overwhelmingly upset and decides to exact revenge on the perpetrator. Instead of death, the parent badly injures the perp. The individual who committed the initial crime has now become a mutual victim.

No victimization is the final type, the guiltiest victim, occurs when a person is killed by another in ­self- ­defense. The victim initiating the confrontation becomes a guilty victim, as well as a dead one. Meadows (2001). Meadows states the “victimless” crimes fall into this category. An example is when an individual grows marijuana in their own homes for personal use. No other person was actually harmed but a crime has been committed. That is what makes this a victimless crime (Meadows,