What is a victim? Especially a victim of crime, according to Encarta Dictionary, a victim is a person that is harm, wounded or killed as a result of a crime, an accident or an event. Being a crime victim can be very upsetting; it comes with a large percentage of negativity. In an article reported by Erika V. Cox, it explains that a large number of crime victims seem to suffer after the actual crime has been committed. For example victims go through several procedures such as interrogation and question; that can make them recollect the terrible situation that has occurred to them. (Cox, 2006) At times people suggest and tend to blame the victims on how there is a reason that caused the situation or did something to intensify the possibility of becoming a victim of crime. Throughout time victims can experience anxiety and stress due to how severe the crime was. (Cox, 2006) A victim can be able to encounter mental and physical problems and not involving the nervous tension of lost income due to the criminal justice courts. Several victims suffer economic destitution because of the fact that they have to arrive in court to testify. Aside from income, a victim can suffer both long term and short term conditions. A long term physical state can be getting shot or stab and becoming paralyzed. A short term problem can be post traumatic stress disorder, flashbacks and difficulty living a normal life. And after it all visiting psychologist and physical therapy professions is not cheap. Crime victims suffer and stumble upon many complications and costs and it can be really difficult for someone. (Cox, 2006)
Crime and victimization are two topics that when combined most tend to get confused. According to Merriam-Webster being victimized is...
... middle of paper ...
... has created a hotline for abuse victims of all source, whether its domestic violence or sexual assault it is there for victim assistance. There are several programs for victims and there is no cost to them. The programs are meant for victims to express and give them an opportunity for closer to move on from whatever abuse they received.
Works Cited
The After-effects of Being a Crime Victim - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2014, from http://voices.yahoo.com/the-after-effects-being-crime-victim-49039.html
FBI — Coping with Victimization. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2014, from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/victim_assistance/coping
What is a Crime - JusticeBC - Criminal Justice Information and Support - Province of British Columbia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2014, from http://www.justicebc.ca/en/cjis/reporting/crime/
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)
Victimization has a twofold meaning as we try to gain a better understanding from this action. First, it is an act exploiting/victimizing an individual. A relationship has occurred between the victim and the attacker. (Victimization, n.d.) Second, it is also the adversity resulting forced to be a victim. (Victimization, n.d.) This adversity has also forced a relationship between the victim and the criminal justice system as well as socials groups and institutions (media, business, etc.) Victimization is a process. This attacker has forced upon the victim to feel pain, injury, or possibly death. What was the reason for this eternal force? A list of possibilities is endless in the reasoning for such a crime such as intended or unintended, social or individual, civil or uncivil, expected or unexpected, biological or chemical, natural or manmade, legal or
Oklahoma is a host to many wonderful programs that assist domestic violence victims. The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General, E. Scott Pruitt, currently provides, Oklahoma Safeline, a toll-free, 24 –hour, hotline regarding information about domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This program offers a safe and private opportunity to better a horrible situation where victims feel as if there is no hope. The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General delivers referrals to crisis centers, shelters, and much more (http://www.oag.state.ok.us/oagweb.nsf/safeline.html). An additional 24-hour hotline is, The National Domestic Violence HOTLINE. It is also private assistance manned by trained advocates for anyone suffering from domestic violence, stalking, or, sexual assault (http://www.thehotline.org/). They provide assistance anywhere within the United States, and the amazing part is, you do not have to be an American citizen. None of these programs falls short when helping people with their basic needs no matter who needs assistance.
Victimization is what happens to a person as when another person deliberately harms them, assaults them physically, sexually or even mentally as well as if they purposely took their possessions or property without the other persons consent. People are victimized every day and all over the world. Violent acts happen to everyday people in their homes, at their work places or just about anywhere. These horrific acts are brought to our attention by the several different types of media outlets. But there are people who are subject to this type of violence that we do not hear about and they are inmates in our correctional facilities.
They’ re basically victims of people that they already know because of their lifestyle such as frequent visits to the same clubs, the amount of alcohol consumption, and more (Shapiro & Maras, 2015). It is said that this people are victimized because of their demographics, they are bystanders, witnesses, and that a violent person becomes victim of violence (Shapiro & Maras, 2015). Shapiro and Maras (2015) indicated that a non-ideal victim can be due to miscarriages of justice, human trafficking, police brutality, and even victims with prior criminal records (Shapiro & Maras, 2015). Research says that if those individual are accepted as victims then society would be acknowledging that there is something wrong with the Criminal Justice system (Shapiro & Maras, 2015). This would include victims who have been assaulted or rape in prisons, victims of intimate partner relationships, rape, physical trauma, and victims in mental hospitals. One of the differences of the two victims is that the ideal victim is recognize by the criminal justice system and the other is not perceive as worthy or deserving of the status (Shapiro & Maras, 2015). One thing that needs to be further look into are children of domestic violence and their involvement with the criminal justice
…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
According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.
Hate crimes are not a new concept for society, because hate crimes have always been around. While the study of hate crimes and the laws that have been passed because of hate crimes is relatively new, hate crimes have always been around. Hate crimes were committed as far back as the 1800’s and even back to The Civil War. Hate crimes are prevalent in society today just like they were in the past; because whether the crimes are aimed towards Muslims, the gay community, or any other minority group; they are fueled by something that every person has come into contact with- prejudice. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived thought or opinion about someone. While prejudice can be positive, in the concept of hate crimes they are negative feelings, thoughts, or opinions that are aimed towards a certain religious, ethnic, race, or even sexual orientation group. The typical definition of hate crime is that a crime has been committed by a majority member against a minority member simply because the victim was a minority. However, as of recent the definition has been expanded to allow for any crime committed by bias towards the victim’s social group such as anti-gay or anti-lesbian. Hate crimes are an extreme, potential effect due to prejudice and discrimination towards someone based on ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. These crimes are committed against an individual or a group of individuals based solely on the fact that they are part of a group that the offender doesn’t approve of whether it is because they are a different race or following an alternative lifestyle. While the hate crimes are not something that is new in society because prejudice has always been around, the concept of a bias-crime and the legal precedent that it ha...
Generally, the study of crime mainly focused on the offender until quite recently. In fact, Shapland et al (1985) described the victim as ‘the forgotten man’ of the criminal justice system and ‘the non-person in the eyes of the professional participants’. A new perspective was brought with victimology, an expanding sub-discipline of crimin...
Wolhuter, Lorraine, Neil Olley, and David Denham. Victimology: victimisation and victims’ rights. London: Routledge-Cavendish, 2009.
In recent years the role of victims in the criminal justice system has risen into prominence, inspiring much research into victim experience and possible reform. There are a multitude of factors that influence policy makers in relation to reforming the criminal justice system, one of which is victims. However, victims while they can be catalysts for reforms such as the case of James Ramage among others, they still play a relatively minor role in influencing policy change.
Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")
(Segal L. The Law Project. Rod Hollier Victimology: Four Major Theories Retrieved 2017) The presences of one or more than one of the following events lead to the victimization, The Availability of Suitable Targets, The Absences of Capable Guardians, and The Presence of Motivate Offenders. Victimization theories state that Routine Activity Theory, the risk of victimization increases as in Carla example she went to jog at 22:00, on top of that she was going to expend the night in her boyfriend apartment, her boyfriend apartment is in a dilapidated apartment complex that was mostly hidden off the main road, between a Bar and a county office complex used by drug rehab counselors. We can see that Carla fits in this theory of victimization perfectly. This theory concentrates on how doors open for violations it will identified with the idea of examples of routine of the daily living, including one's work, family, and
A victimless crime is defined as an illegal occurrence involving one party or multiple parties who all willingly agrees to engage in a crime. Since these individuals consented to the crime no one will be considered a victim in the eye of law. First, victimless crimes are considered wrong only because there is a law against the specific crime in question. According to Schmalleger F. & Hall D., 2017, “The key to understanding the meaning of the term victimless crimes is to recognize that, although the behavior of those involved in such crimes may violate the criminal law, it is, in almost all cases, consensual behavior that is freely engaged in by all of the parties involved.” Moreover, this quote stood out to me for the simple fact that like