Research and Temporary Resolution of Disputes
It is during the fourth and last stage of the rediscov- ery process that victimologists can make their most valuable contributions. By getting to the bottom of unsolved mysteries and by intervening in bitter conflicts, researchers can become a source of accu- rate assessments, by helping to evaluate competing claims about whether the problem has or has not been brought under control, and by determining whether treatment and prevention measures are genuinely effective. By maintaining objectivity,
victimologists can serve as arbiters in these heated disputes.
For example, during the 1980s, a series of shocking shootings by disgruntled gun-toting employees led to the rediscovery of victims of workplace violence. In the aftermath of these slaughters, worried employees insisted that employ- ers call in occupational safety specialists to devise protection and prevention programs. Anxious man- agers usually acceded, fearing expensive lawsuits and lowered morale and productivity. But research- ers have determined that these highly publicized multiple murders accounted for just a tiny fraction of a multifaceted but far less newsworthy set of dangers. Most of the cases of workplace violence across the country involve robberies, unarmed assaults, and complaints about stalkers acting in a menacing way. Many incidents that disrupt the smooth functioning of factories and offices are not even criminal matters, such as instances of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual harassment (Rugala, 2004).
During Stage 4, a standoff, deadlock, or truce might develop between victims’ advocates who want more changes, and their opponents who resist any further reforms. But the fourth phase is not necessarily the final phase. The findings and policy recommendations of neutral parties such as victi- mologists and criminologists do not settle questions once and for all. Concerns about some type of vic- timization can recede from public consciousness for years, only to reappear when social conditions are ripe for a new four-stage cycle of rediscovery of (1) claims making, (2) reform, (3) opposition, and (4) temporary resolution.
A number of types of formerly overlooked vic- tims have reached Stage 4 in the rediscovery pro- cess. Recently collected data can be analyzed to try to put the public’s fears into perspective, to attempt to resolve ongoing controversies, and to assess the impact of countermeasures designed to assist those who are suffering and to prevent others from sharing their same fate (an example that stirs up strong emotions in a great many people, trafficking in human beings, appears in Box 2.3).
T H E R E D I S C OV ER Y OF C R I M E VI CT I M S 57
9781337027786, Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology, Ninth Edition, Karmen – © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
F O S T E R , C E D R I C 1 6 9 2 T S
B O X 2.3 An Illustration of the Four Stages in the Rediscovery Process: The Plight of Victims of Human Trafficking
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