VICTIMOLOGY AND

VICTIM
 Victimology and Victim
Victimology is the scientific study of victimization, including the
relationships between victims and offenders, the interactions between
victims and the criminal justice system – that is, the police and courts,
and corrections officials – and the connections between victims and
other social groups and institutions, such as the media, businesses, and
social movements.
The concept of victim dates back to ancient cultures and
civilization, such as the ancient Hebrews. Its original meaning was
rooted in the idea of sacrifice or scapegoat – the execution or casting
out of a person or animal to satisfy a deity or hierarchy. Over the
centuries, the word victim came to have additional meanings. During
the founding of victimology in the 1940s, victimologists such as
Mendelson, Von Hentig, and Wolfgang tended to use textbook or
dictionary definitions of victims as hapless dupes who instigated their
own victimizations.
This notion of victim precipitation was vigorously attacked by
feminists in the 1980s, and was replaced by the notion of victims
as anyone caught up in an asymmetric relationship or situation.
Over the years, ideas about victim precipitation have come to be
perceived as a negative thing; victim blaming it is called. Research
into ways in which victims “ contribute” to their own
victimization is considered by victims and victim advocates as
both unacceptable and destructive.
Asymmetry means anything unbalanced, exploitative,
parasitical, oppressive, destructive, alienating, or having inherent
suffering. In this view, victimology is all about power differentials.
 Today, the concept of victim includes any person who
experiences injury, loss, or hardship due to any cause. Also today,
the word victim is used rather indiscriminately; e.g., cancer victims,
holocaust victims, accident victims, victims of injustice, hurricane
victims, crime victims, and others. The thing that all these usages
have in common is an image of someone who has suffered injury
and harm by forces beyond his or her control.

Crime victim generally refers to any person, group, or entity

who has suffered injury or loss due to illegal activity. The harm can
be physical, psychological, or economic.
 History of Victimology
At first (from the origins of criminology in the 1880s), anything
resembling victimology was simply the study of crime from the
perspective of the victim. With the exception of some
psychological profilers who do this, nobody really advocates this
approach to victimology anymore. The scientific study of
victimology can be traced back to the 1940s and 1950s.
Two criminologists, Mendelsohn and Hans Von Hentig, began to
explore the field of victimology by creating “ typologies” . They
are considered the fathers of the study of victimology.
Mendelsohn was the first to coin the term Victimology in 1940.
 These new “ victimologists” began to study the
behaviors and vulnerabilities of victims, such as the
resistance of rape victims and characteristics of the
types of people who were victims of crime, especially
murder victims.
Mendelsohn interviewed victims to obtain
information, and his analysis led him to believe that
most victims had an “ unconscious aptitude for being
victimized” and created a typology of victims.
Similarly, Hans Von Hentig studied victims of homicide
and formed the type of victims.
Mendelsohn’ s Typology of Crime Victims
Von Hentig’ s Typology
 The Study of Victimology
Before we can understand victimology, we need to appreciate that
it is a fairly new subfield or area of specialization within
criminology. Criminology is a rather broad field of study that
encompasses the study of law making, law breaking, and societal
reactions to law breaking. Victimology, much like criminal justice,
falls into the third of these areas.
Victimology does not have any subfields within itself; in fact, there
are few theories, and little or no schools of thought. Going back to
criminology, there are four subfields; penology (and the sociology
of law); delinquency (sometimes referred to as psychological
criminology);comparative (and historical) criminology; and
victimology.
 Victimology
Victimology is the scientific study of victimization, including the relationships
between victims and offenders, the interactions between victims and the
criminal justice system – that is, the police and courts, and corrections
officials – and the connections between victims and other societal groups
and institution, such as the media, businesses, and social movements. From
this definition, victimology encompasses the study of:
- Victimization,
- Victim-offender relationships,
- Victim-criminal justice system relationships,
- Victims and the media,
- Victims and the costs of crimes, and
- Victims and social movements.
 Theories in Victimology
Over the years, ideas about victim precipitation have come to be
perceived as a negative thing; victim blaming it is called. Research
into ways in which victims “ contribute” to their own
victimization is considered by victims and victim advocates as
both unacceptable and destructive. Yet a few enduring models
and near-theories exist, to wit:
1. Luckenbill’ s (1977) Situated Transaction Model This one is
commonly found in the sociology of deviance textbooks. The idea
is that at the interpersonal level, crime and victimization is a
contest of character. The stages go like this:
a. Insult
b. Clarification
c. Retaliation
d. Counter retaliation
e. presence of weapon
f. Onlookers
2. Benjamin and Master’ s Threefold Model This one is found in a variety of criminological
studies from prison riots to strain theories. The idea is that the condition that support crime
can be classified into three general
categories:
a. Precipitation factors – time, space, being in the wrong place at the wrong time;
b. Attracting factors – choices, options, lifestyles; and
c. Predisposing factors – all the sociodemographic characteristics of victims being male,
being young, being poor, being a minority, living in squalor, being single, being unemployed.
3. Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson ‘ s (1979) Routine Activities Theory This one is quite
popular among victimologists today who are anxious to test the theory. Briefly, it says that
crime occurs whenever three conditions come together:
a. Suitable targets
b. Motivated offenders
c. Absence of capable guardians
4. Victim Precipitation Theory
This theory suggests that some people may actually initiate the confrontation that eventually
leads to their injury or death. Victim precipitation can be either active or passive.
5. Lifestyle Theory
6. Deviant Place Theory
Victims don not encourage crime but are victim prone because they reside in socially
disorganized high-crime areas where they have the greatest risk of coming into contact with
criminal offenders, irrespective of their own behavior or lifestyle.
 Who is a Crime Victim?
A victim refers to a person who has suffered direct, or threatened, physical, emotional, or
pecuniary harm as a result of a commission of a crime; or in the case of a victim being an
institutional entity, any of the same harms by an individual or authorized representative of
another entity.
Crime victim refers to any person, group or entity who has suffered injury or loss due to
illegal activity (man-made). The harm can be;
a. Physical – may include physical injury; generally, it involves physical pain.
b. Psychological – the following are psychological reactions:
✔ Increase in the belief of personal vulnerability;
✔ Perception of the world as meaningless and incomprehensible; and
✔ Viewing themselves in a negative light.
c. Economic – may include loss of property like family house, business establishment
and the like.
 Kinds of Crime Victims:

1. Direct or primary crime victims

2. Indirect or secondary crime victims
3. Tertiary crime victims
 Victim in General
In general, victim means any person who, by
reason of natural disaster or man-made cause,
individually or collectively, has suffered harm,
including physical or mental injury, emotional
suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment
of his/her fundamental rights, through acts or
omissions that are in violation of criminal laws,
including those proscribing
abuse of power.
 Consequences of Crime
Emotional distress as a result of crime is a recurring theme
for all victims of crime. The most common problem
affecting three quarters of victims was psychological
problems including:
a. fear
b. anxiety
c. nervousness
d. self-blame
e. anger
f. shame
g. difficulty in sleeping
 Models of Victimization
1. Victim of Crime Model (man-made cause)
a. Stage of impact and disorganization – this depicts the
attitude or activity of the victim during and immediately
following the criminal event.
b. Stage of recoil – this stage occurs during which the victim
formulates psychological defenses and deals with conflicting
emotions of guilt, anger, acceptance and desire of revenge
(this could last 3 to 8 months).
c. Reorganization stage – this stage occurs during which the
victim puts his/her life back to normal daily living.
 Models of Victimization
2. Victim of Disaster Model (natural cause)
a. Pre-impact stage – this describes the state of the victim
prior to being victimized.
b. Impact stage – this stage is the phase in which the
victimization occurs.
c. Post impact stage – this stage entails the degree and
duration of the personal and social disorganization following
victimization.
d. Behavioral outcome – this phase describes the victim’ s
adjustment to the victimization experience.