Law

Describe the scope and breadth of victimization in the United States. Watching the news, one would think there was a murderer in every bush waiting to jump out and kill you. This is because crime, especially violent crime, makes a great news story. The problem is that the media creates a false understanding of how […]

Structural Causes of Victimization One of the other more common theories around victimization has to do with neighborhood characteristics and their relation to crime and victimization. This is called the criminology of place or hot spots and was first discussed in the work of Sherman, Gartin, and Buerger (1989). The criminology of place looks at

Lifestyle theory is constructed upon several premises: • Crime occurs differently in different places. Some places are more high risk, and some times of day have a higher possibility of a crime occurring. • Offenders have characteristics that are different from most people. • Certain lifestyles, like being exposed to more crimogenitic area and people,

Lifestyle Theory Lifestyle and exposure theory is a model of victimology that posits that the likelihood an individual will suffer a personal victimization depends heavily upon the concept of lifestyle. Specifically, certain lifestyle choices will increase the likelihood of becoming a victim. This means the victimization is not necessarily a random occurrence but is related

Cohen and Felson’s Routine Activities Theory One family of theories, called environmental criminology, studies how crime and victimization occur within the build environments, which is the way that individuals and organizations shape their activities spatially. This is an important part of the study of crime and criminology, dating back to the work of Park and

Critical Victimology Critical victimology looks at the wider social context of victimology, including policy and services for victims (Mawby & Walklate, 1994). Situated in both symbolic interaction theory and social psychology, critical victimology asks about the formation of the notion of victimization and the label of victim (Miers, 1990). Miers points out that one of

Radical Victimology Radical victimology stems from the work of Mendelsohn and from radical criminology and sociology (Ben-David, 2000). Radical theory came from conflict theory, including the work of Karl Marx. The notion is that groups in society are in conflict, especially around economic resources, and that crime and victimization can be solved through a major

Differentiate the major theoretical frameworks used in the field of victimology and their impact. Now that you have some understanding of the categories of victims and social movements that have affected how we think about victimization, we turn to a discussion of several of the broad theoretical frameworks of victimization. Mawby and Walklate – Critical

The Crime Victims’ Rights Movement Starting in the 20th century, the victim’s role in justice had eroded to the point where many victims had no legal rights or say in the case (National Crime Victim     Law Institute, 2011). Stemming from the changes in public discourse because of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights

Social Movements and Victims In addition to an academic field, victimology movements ensure that victims’ rights are protected and that victims have clear advocacy to help them recover from their victimization. This section discusses several of the social movements that have led to social changes around victimization. While the Civil Rights Movement is not discussed