Chapter 1: Introduction to Victimology

What is Victimology? Benjamin Mendelsohn coined the term in 1947 Definition: “Scientific study of crime victims” Considered a subfield of Criminology

History of Victimology Before Victims’ Rights Movement Prior to and during Middle Ages Victims are the focus of the justice system Code of Hammurabi Focus on restoration of equity between victim and offender Industrial Revolution State is the focus of the justice system 1940s Attention returned to victim Didn’t include making them a part of the justice system Research focused on victim contribution to the criminal incident

Role of the Victim in Crime Victim blaming main focus of victimological research Victim precipitation – continuum of responsibility for victims Victim facilitation – unconscious or irresponsible action that led to victimization Victim provocation – incited someone to commit a criminal offense against him or her

Early Victimology Theorists Hans von Hentig Looked at characteristics of victims that put them at risk Criminal-victim dyad 13 categories of risk Benjamin Mendelsohn “Father of victimology” Explored victim-offender relationships Classification system based on victim culpability

Early Victimology Theorists Stephen Schafer Victim typology based on culpability – included social characteristics and behaviors Marvin Wolfgang Empirically investigated victim precipitation for the first time in 1957 Discovered that 26% of homicides were precipitated Found common characteristics in precipitated homicides Subintentional homicide Menachem Amir Victim precipitation in rape cases Concluded that 20% of cases were precipitated Controversial study

Victims’ Rights Movement 1960s – focus on how criminal justice system dealt with victims 1966 – President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice 1st government sponsored victimization survey National Crime Survey – became National Crime Victimization Survey Shed light on how much crime went unreported (Dark Figure of Crime) Identified why people were reluctant to report to law enforcement

Victims’ Rights Movement Other social movements contributed to creation of Victims’ Rights Movement Women’s Movement Brought attention to violence against women Also brought attention to effects of victimization on children Revictimization by CJ system highlighted Civil Rights Movement Brought attention to mistreatment of minorities by CJ system as both offenders and victims

Contributions of Victims’ Rights Movement 1965 – California – first victim compensation program 1972 – 3 victim assistance programs developed across the U.S. 1974 – first prototypes of Victim/Witness Assistance programs Funded by Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration

Development of Victim Organizations Not all victims were provided advocacy services Secondary victims – people affected by the victimization of a loved one Some organizations to address secondary victims (ex. Parents of Murdered Children) National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) Developed in 1975 to consolidate purposes of victims’ rights movement

Legislation and Policy 1979/1980 – Wisconsin was the first state to pass Victims’ Bill of Rights 1980 – NOVA policy platform 1980 – Presidential Task Force on Victims of Crime 4 main initiatives Federal legislation for state victim compensation and local assistance programs Recommendations for those that work with victims Creation of task force on family violence Recommended Victims’ Rights Amendment

Legislation and Policy 1984 – Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Established Crime Victims Funds Established Office for Victims of Crime 1994 – Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act Included Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 1998 – New Directions from the Field Investigated where we were at with recommendations from Presidential Task Force 1990s – State efforts to afford victims rights 2004 – Justice for All Act

Victimology Today What do we study today? The Crime Victim The Causes of Victimization The Costs of Victimization The Crime Victim and the Criminal Justice System The Crime Victim and Social Services Prevention