Theories of Victimization: Understanding Victimology

Victimologists' Research

• Victimologists explore the interactions between victims and offenders, victims and the criminal justice system, and victims and society.
• They follow a four-step process:
  • Identify, define, and describe the problem
  • Measure the true dimensions of the problem
  • Investigate how victims are handled
  • Gather evidence to test hypotheses

Hans von Hentig's Theories

• Hans von Hentig, a German criminologist, sought to develop crime prevention strategies.
• He believed that victims are born or shaped by society, just like criminals.
• Certain characteristics of law-abiding citizens, such as feeblemindedness, can also be found in victims.

Von Hentig's Victim Typology

• Von Hentig classified victims into categories based on characteristics that increase victim vulnerability or exposure to danger:
  • The Young: children and infants who are physically weaker, have less mental prowess, and fewer legal rights.
  • The Acquisitive: individuals who are greedy and looking for quick gain, suspending their judgment or putting themselves in dangerous situations.
  • The Wanton: promiscuous individuals who engage in indiscriminate sexual activity, exposing themselves to disease and unhealthy personalities.
  • The Lonesome or Heartbroken: widows, widowers, and those in mourning, who are prone to substance abuse and easy prey for con men.
  • The Tormentor: abusive parents who expose themselves to danger by injuring their child or themselves.
  • The Blocked, Exempted, or Fighting: victims of blackmail, extortion, and confidence scams.

Benjamin Mendelsohn's Theories

• Mendelsohn, a French-Israeli lawyer, began studying victims in 1947 and believed that many victims shared an unconscious capacity for being victimized.
• He developed a typology that categorizes the extent to which the victim is culpable in their own demise, based on situational factors.

Mendelsohn's Victim Typology

• Mendelsohn's six victim types:
  • Completely Innocent Victim: exhibits no provocative or contributory behavior prior to the offender's attack.
  • Victim due to Ignorance: unwittingly does something that places them in a position to be victimized.
  • Voluntary Victim: makes a conscious and deliberate choice to suffer harm or loss.
  • Victim more Guilty than the Offender: provokes a criminal act, but ends up as a loser.
  • Most Guilty Victim: is more culpable than the offender in their own victimization.