Victimology PDF

**VICTIMOLOGY** -the study of the victims of crime and the psychological effects on them of their experience. **VICTIM** -An individual who experience loss, injury, or hardship in any reason. **THEORIES OF VICTIMOLOGY:** VICTIM PRECIPITATION -People may actually initiate the confrontation that...

**VICTIMOLOGY** -the study of the victims of crime and the psychological effects on them of their experience. **VICTIM** -An individual who experience loss, injury, or hardship in any reason. **THEORIES OF VICTIMOLOGY:** VICTIM PRECIPITATION -People may actually initiate the confrontation that eventually leads to their injury or death. -The causes or reason why an individual became a victim are came from them also. **LIFESTYLE THEORY** -Crime is not a random occurrence but rather a function of the victim' s lifestyle. **DEVIANT PLACE THEORY** -The greater their exposure to dangerous places, the more likely people will become victims of crime and violence. **DYNAMICS OF VICTIMIZATION:** **VICTIMS OF CRIME MODEL:** **Stage of Impact&Disorganization** -stage during and immediately following the criminal event **Stage of Recoil** -stage during which the victim formulates psychological defenses and deals with conflicting emotions of guilt, anger, acceptance, and desire of revenge (said to last three to eight months). **Reorganization Stage** -stage during which the victim puts his or her life back to normal daily living. Some victims, however, may not successfully adopt the victimization experience and a maladaptive reorganization stage may last for many years. **VICTIMS OF DISASTER MODEL:** **Pre-impact** -stage describe the victim's condition prior to being victimized. **Impact** -the stage at which victimization occurs. **Post-impact** -stage which entails the degree and duration of personal and social disorganization following victimization. **Behavioral outcome** -stage that describes the victim's adjustment to the victimization experience. **TYPOLOGY OF VICTIMS:** General Types of Victims (Based on the classification of Hans Von Hentig, a European lawyer) 1\. **The Young**-- the weak by virtue of age and immaturity 2\. **The Female**-- often less physically powerful and easily dominated by males. 3\. **The Old**-- the incapable of physical defense and the common object of confidence scheme. 4\. **The Mentally Defective**-- those that are unable to think clearly. 5\. **The Immigrant**-- those that are unsure of the rules of conduct in the surrounding society. 6\. **The Minorities**-- racial prejudice may lead to victimization or unequal treatment by the agency of justice. **OTHER TYPES OF VICTIMS:** (Benjamin Mendelsohn, a European defense attorney, created his own classification of victim types.) This includes the following six categories: 1\. **The completely innocent victim**-- such a person is an ideal victim in popular perception. In this category placed persons victimized while they were unconscious, and the child victims. 2\. **Victims with only minor guilt and those victimized due to ignorance.** 3\. **The victim who is just as guilty as the offender, and the voluntary victim.** Suicide cases are common to this category. 4\. **The victim is more guilty than the offender**-- this category was described as containing persons who provoked the criminal or actively induced their own victimization. 5\. **The guiltiest victim "who is guilty alone"--** an attacker killed by a would-be victim in the act of defending themselves were placed into this category. 6\. **The imaginary victim**-- those suffering from mental disorders, or those victims due to extreme mental abnormalities. **CAUSES OF VICTIMIZATION** - **Social inequality** - **Presence of risk factors.** - **Psychological factors** - **Lack of social support**