Assessing The Extent and Nature of Victimization PDF

ASSESSING THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF VICTIMISATION UKZN UKZN INSPIRING INSPIRING  Data Sources of Criminal Victimization There are various ways in which information on the nature and extent of victimisation is obtained. In order to conduct an assessment, it is nece...

ASSESSING THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF VICTIMISATION UKZN UKZN INSPIRING INSPIRING  Data Sources of Criminal Victimization There are various ways in which information on the nature and extent of victimisation is obtained. In order to conduct an assessment, it is necessary to focus on the different sources of criminal victimisation data. Data sources can be categorised as either official or non official data sources Official data sources refer to records, reports and statistical surveys undertaken by agencies dealing officially with crime, such as the police, the courts and correctional services (quantitative data ) Non-official data sources include victimisation surveys, which is when random samples of the population are asked whether they have been victims of crime within a specified period of time. Victim surveys can take the form interviews or street surveys. It could be qualitative (exploratory) or quantitative (descriptive) or a combination. UKZN INSPIRING  Official crime statistics Official crime statistics are collected by government agencies to provide crime information for the purpose of formulating policy decisions and to facilitate the crime matters to government, departments, local authorities, business and the general public. Crime rates in South Africa are reported annually by the SAPS. Information on a general timeline and specific crime type. UKZN INSPIRING  Broad Categories of Crime in S.A Each category is divided into related specific crime types. Contact – related crimes (e.g. murder, sexual offences, common assault, robbery. Property-related crimes (e.g. vandalism, burglary, arson) Other serious crimes (e.g. human trafficking, Drug trafficking) The information also provides longitudinal crime trends and patterns (e.g. increase or decrease of crimes over the years). UKZN INSPIRING  Crime Victim Surveys National victimisation surveys provide both reported and non reported to the police. It provide an overview of the level and trend of crime experienced by households and individuals in SA. Is a valuable source of information and assist governments and policy makers in collecting more comprehensive understanding of the level and nature of personal and household crime. Provide insights into people’s perceptions of safety in the community and their confidence in law enforcement agencies. Assess individuals in a given community directly about their experiences of crime UKZN INSPIRING  Victims of Crime Surveys (VOCs) Countrywide house-hold-based survey – aims to provide information relating to the dynamics of crimes from the perspective of households and individual victims of crime. Scientifically designed to measure the perceptions and experiences of crime victims in relation to: – the nature, extent and patterns of crime; – Victim risk factors and victim proneness, and criminal justice system service delivery evaluations. To obtain a more reliable and valid reflection of “true” incidence of crime (i.e. using both official crime statistics and non-official crime data. UKZN INSPIRING  Assessing the Value of Victim Surveys Little was known about crimes and victims in South Africa before victim of crime surveys (VOCs) was conducted. Knowledge of crimes and their victims came largely from reports filed by the SAPS. Data produced had no information on: – The characteristics of victims; – The cost or injurious of crime; – The circumstances in which crimes occurred. UKZN INSPIRING  Cont.. VOCs – rich source of information – Assist in planning for the prevention and reduction of victimization. – Providing a more holistic picture of crime trends and patterns. – Data can be used to develop policies and strategies – For crime public education programmes and multidimensional response to criminal victimisation. UKZN INSPIRING  Cont.. Victimisation surveys are likely to produce higher crime estimates than police-recorded administrative data. Many crimes are not reported to the police. Victim surveys deal with incidents that may not necessarily match the legal definition of crime. Victim surveys are likely to elicit better disclosure of criminal incidents than data from records. Subject to undercounting – some victims may be reluctant to disclose information, particularly for incidents of a sensitive nature, such as sexual assault. UKZN INSPIRING  Cont.. The accuracy of statistics is influenced by individuals' personal characteristics and ability to recall past victimisation. The longer the elapsed time period, the less likely that an incident will be recalled accurately. UKZN INSPIRING  Methodological Considerations – Measurement of Victimisation Survey approach methodological problems fall into three categories: – Sampling – Measurement – Inference UKZN INSPIRING  Cont.. Alternative sampling methods such as beginning with unknown victims from police files or from victim programmes of some type, are more efficient in generating victim data but suffer from other kinds of problems. Researchers often attempt to develop explanatory or predictive models or use data from a survey of single point in time rather than panel designs. The amount of variance in the victimization variable that is true variance and the amount that is error. UKZN INSPIRING  Methodological and ethical considerations Conducting research in the field of victimology: – Victims are not a theoretical, ideological or archetypical constructs – they are human beings. – Victimisation is not a one-dimensional. – The very true nature of victimization also elicits its various responses and attitudes towards the victims in cultural context. – Victims of crime and abuse of power deserve to be treated in a sensitive and conscientious way. UKZN INSPIRING  Cont.. Victimisation influences all levels of an individual’s being, including physical, emotional, social economic. Take into account cultural sensitivity when constructing and conducting research surveys. e.g. when dealing with sexual offences and violence against women - influenced by cultural settings in certain cultures. Different groups of victimisations require different techniques. Information about violence against women depends entirely on the amount of attention researchers pay to gender when they design, carry out and report on their studies. UKZN INSPIRING  Research Participants’ Rights The right to: – Privacy – Anonymity – Confidentiality – Full disclosure about the aim of the research – Not to be harmed in any manner UKZN INSPIRING  Challenges for Researchers in Africa Indigenous researchers fail to engage with indigenous communities, except by framing them as research objects to be studies. Colonising culture have always viewed Indigenous communities as “being a problem to solve”. Western researchers need to remain aware of their own particular worldview, predicated on matters such as morality, gender, culture, socio- economic status. Non-Indigenous researchers working in an Indigenous context need to understand their own impact and position within both the community and the research environment. UKZN INSPIRING  Cont.. Indigenous paradigm – established to engage with the Aboriginal worldviews using and incorporating the core structures to the Indigenous culture. Indigenous paradigm – seeks to honour the voices of Indigenous people. Postcolonial research paradigm – shift towards a more inclusive and culturally acceptable view of conducting cross-cultural research. UKZN INSPIRING