Critical Victimology Theory: Examples & Quiz

Study Notes

Critical victimology emerged as a response to positivist victimology, focusing on the role of the state and its agencies in defining victimhood.
Critical victimology examines the social construction of victimhood, highlighting how the state and its agencies define who is a victim.
The approach critiques the process of victim blaming, particularly in positivist victimology, and examines the broader scale of victims of crime, including those unaware they are victims.
Critical victimology identifies three main features: examining the role of the state in defining victimhood, looking at the broader scale of victims, and critiquing victim blaming.
The approach highlights how social and physical characteristics, such as gender and class, affect whether someone is seen as a victim or not, with males and working-class individuals being less likely to be seen as victims despite being more likely to be victims of crime.
Critical victimology focuses on the denial of victim status by the state, particularly in cases of state or corporate crime, such as the Hillsborough tragedy and the Grenfell Tower fire.
The approach draws on techniques of neutralization, as outlined by Mata and Sykes, to deny the victim's status and refute claims of state crimes.
Examples of denied victim status include the police shooting of Mark Duggan, the Bloody Sunday massacre, and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, where the state failed to acknowledge the victims' status.
Critical victimology conducts a critical analysis of the victim-blaming approach, highlighting the role of the media and the state in denying victim status, as seen in the Stephen Lawrence case and the Hillsborough tragedy.
The approach aims to give a voice to those denied victim status and examines crimes that are often overlooked due to their complexity, drawing attention to the conduct and denial of responsibility of those in power.

Description

This quiz explores the concept of critical victimology, a response to positivist victimology, focusing on the state's role in defining victimhood. It examines how social and physical characteristics affect victim status and critiques victim blaming. Learn about critical victimology's approach to giving a voice to denied victims and examining overlooked crimes.