criminal

THE TWO OFFICIAL SOURCES OF DATA As early as the 1800s, public officials began keeping records about lawbreaking to gauge the “moral health” of society. Then, as now, high rates of inter- personal violence and theft were taken as signs of social pathology—indications that something was V I C T IM I Z AT ION […]

Making Sense of Statistics Statistics are meaningful numbers that reveal impor- tant information. Statistics are of crucial importance to social scientists, policy analysts, and decision makers because they replace vague adjectives such as “many,” “most,” and “few” with precise numbers. Both victimologists and criminologists gather their own data to make their own calculations, or they

VICTIMIZATION ACROSS THE NATION: THE BIG PICTURE Victimologists gather and interpret data to answer crucial questions such as: How many people are harmed by criminals each year? Is victimization becoming more of a problem or is it subsiding as time goes by? And which groups are targeted the most and the least often? Researchers want

Research Findings Temporarily Resolve Disputes The true intensity of the problem remains unknown since trafficking often goes undetected and unreported due to its covert nature, the reluctance of victims who feel vulnerable and fear reprisals to turn to the authorities for help, mis- conceptions about its definition, and a lack of awareness about it in

Challenges Arise and Opposition Emerges No one approves of or defends involuntary servitude and sexual violence, but the crusade against human trafficking has provoked some opposition among thoughtful people and concerned groups for a number of reasons. First of all, some activists share the moral outrage of the crusaders but feel that the widespread use

Passing Legislation and Setting Up Assistance Programs Raids against transnational trafficking rings, statements by world leaders, international conferences, and articles as well as popular movies depicting sexual slavery heightened pressures to “do something.” In response, the Clinton administration drafted a comprehensive approach that embodied the prosecution of profiteers, protections for trafficked persons, and prevention measures.

An Illustration of the Four Stages in the Rediscovery Process: The Plight of Victims of Human Trafficking Stage One: Reviving Public Outrage About a Longstanding Problem: Trafficking in human beings is widely recognized as a lucrative racket and a major aspect of the crime problem in a great many source, transit, and destination countries across

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

  Emergence of an Opposition and Development of Resistance to Further Changes The third stage in the rediscovery process is marked by the emergence of groups that oppose the goals sought by victims of rediscovered crimes. The victims had to overcome public apathy during Stage 1 and bureau- cratic inertia during Stage 2. During Stage

Winning Victories, Implementing Reforms The rediscovery process enters its second stage whenever activists and advocacy groups begin to make headway toward their goals. At first, it might be necessary to set up indepen- dent demonstration projects or pilot programs to prove the need for special services. Then government grants or funding from private foundations can