Victims and Victimization Chapter 3

Victim's Role

• Victims are often seen as passive individuals caught in adverse situations.
• From the late 1960s, emphasis shifted to how victim behavior influences crime, questioning factors like being out alone in dangerous areas.

Victimology

• Focuses on understanding victims' roles and impacts within the crime process.

Victimologists

• Specialized criminologists concentrating on studying crime victims and their experiences.

Victimization's Toll on Society

• National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) estimates around 24 million criminal incidents each year.
• Costs encompass property damage, emotional distress, lost wages, and ongoing fear of re-victimization.

Economic Costs of Victimization

• Mark Cohen introduced a broader view of crime costs, including intangible losses such as pain and emotional trauma.
• Average murder incurs nearly $9 million in societal costs, with national crime-related losses totaling approximately $190 billion annually.
• Societal, criminal justice, crime career, and individual costs contribute to extensive economic impacts.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• PTSD manifests as a response to traumatic events, with symptoms including depression, anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares.

Childhood Stress

• Violent crime survivors, particularly those victimized before age 12, are prone to long-term psychological and health issues, including long-lasting PTSD.
• Lack of support exacerbates their vulnerability to mental health issues and negative life outcomes.

Relationship Stress

• Childhood trauma affects adults, increasing vulnerability to intimate partner violence (IPV).
• IPV victims have a high likelihood of encountering severe mental health conditions, including various anxiety disorders and PTSD.

Abuse by the System

• Victims may encounter secondary victimization through legal systems, including lost income due to court involvement and fear of retaliation.
• Victim-blaming contributes to stress, leading to potential false identifications in legal contexts.

Policies and Issues in Criminology

• Long-term consequences of trauma include diverse psychological disorders stemming from both physical and emotional abuse in relationships.
• Adolescent victims are especially susceptible to developing PTSD and other coping issues such as substance abuse and self-harm.

Fear

• Vulnerable groups (elderly, impoverished, minorities) often experience heightened fear of re-victimization, creating a cycle of anxiety surrounding safety.
• Violent crime victims are profoundly impacted by the possibility of repeated attacks.

Vicarious Fear

• Individuals regularly exposed to violence can develop vicarious fear, intensified by sensationalized media coverage of crime.
• Exposure to distressing news can amplify community fear and shape public perceptions of safety.