criminal

WHO OR WHAT IS TO BLAME FOR SPECIFIC INCIDENTS? Since the 1970s, the notion of shared responsibility has become a subject of intense and sometimes bit- ter debate. Some criminologists and victimologists have expressed concern over the implications of studies into mutual interactions and reciprocal influences between the two parties. Those who raised doubts and […]

THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF POSSIBILITIES: RECOGNIZING COMPLETE INNOCENCE AND FULL RESPONSIBILITY A typology is a classification system that aids in the understanding of what a group has in common and how it differs from others. Over the decades, victi- mologists have devised many typologies to try to illustrate the degree of shared responsibility, if any,

REPEAT AND CHRONIC VICTIMS: LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES? One day in October, a woman hears someone banging on her front door. She opens it and sees her neighbor, a 21-year-old man, lying on his back. He pleads, “Call 911, I’m dying.” The ambulance rushes the man to a nearby hospital, but he is dead on

PREDICTING THE CHANCES OF BECOMING A VICTIM SOMEDAY: PROJECTING CUMULATIVE RISKS Yearly victimization rates might lull some people into a false sense of security. Annual rates give the impression that crime is a rare event. Only a hand- ful of people out of every thousand fall prey to offenders; most people get through a year

Who Faces the Greatest Risks? Several obstacles hamper attempts to derive accu- rate estimates of the frequency of these thefts and the profile of those who are targeted most often. First, some people do not yet know that impostors have assumed their identities. Second, some victims are not aware that the FTC has been designated

Is the Problem Growing or Subsiding? How many people know what it is like to be impersonated? How rapidly are their ranks increas- ing? To address these concerns, it is necessary to ask “What are the yearly incidence and longer term prevalence rates?” A wide range of estimates can be found because of variations in

Losses and Suffering This potentially serious type of larceny can damage a person’s finances, reputation, and credit history, as well as cause great emotional distress that can trig- ger relationship problems. A targeted individual must undertake tasks that are confusing and infuri- ating because the burden of proving innocence falls to the victim. Identity theft

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, 2004 (REMARKS WHEN SIGNING THE IDENTITY THEFT PENALTY ENHANCEMENT ACT) The Nature of the Problem and How Many People Experience Its Aggravations Throughout history, people seeking to evade cap- ture have used disguises, false papers, and aliases to pass themselves off as someone else. Spies, sabo- teurs, infiltrators, terrorists, and fugitives from

FOCUSING ON INDIVIDUALS WHOSE IDENTITIES WERE STOLEN The crime of identity theft undermines the basic trust on which our economy depends. When a person takes out an insurance policy, or makes an online purchase or opens a savings account, he or she must have confidence that personal financial information will be protected and treated with

Clark and Harris, 1992; NICB Study, 1993; and Krauss, 1994). Finally, to make matters more complex, the desirability of particular vehicles on the black market varies around the country. For example, thieves concentrated on Japanese models in Los Angeles, pickup trucks in Dallas, and American sedans in Chicago, reflecting the preferences of consumers in those