Theory Of Victimology

Violence against people and property is committed everyday on the streets of our cities and in peoples very own homes. This violence is committed by loved ones, friends and strangers. You can turn on the news and see murder, assault, sexual assault and robberies and these horrific acts are done for so many different reasons, such as, jealousy, revenge, religious reasons and even for money but sometimes they are done out of reasons no one can put a name to it. Why do these crimes get committed? Perhaps these offenders are on drugs, genetics, family upbringing/surroundings, or those who may suffer from mental illnesses, to name a few. But for many people, becoming a victim of one of these crimes is the last thing they thought would happen to

Unlike Criminology, victimology has only been around starting in the late 1930s to early 1940s. Several specialist from the beginning to present day, have advanced the research and study of victimization and the theories of victimization by adding new ways of identifying them through research. Everyone has their own theory of victimization. Some people say that the victim asked for it, or deserved it; others say they will never become one. Early victimologists, like Hans Von Hentig, Benjamin Mendelsohn, Sellin and Wolfgang based their theories of victimology on the victim and offender relationship. They believed that the victim had some type of culpability, some victims intentionally made themselves available to the crime and that some victims actually made their offender into the

Mendelsohn had a typology that separates victims who he felt were more responsible for the crime than the offender. He had five types of typologies of victimization: victim-precipitated crimes, victim with minor guilt, victim as guilty, victim is guiltier than the offender, and the most guilty victim. Since then, more modern theories have been built on these older ones. There are some modern theories of victimology that have been developed: cultural trappings, victim precipitation theory, spatial relations and victimization. These theories are built on the old ones and cover associations, behaviors, culture, spatial relationships, victim lifestyle, and