Chapter 3 Victims and Victimization Problems of Crime

Chapter 3 Victims and Victimization

Problems of Crime Victims § Victimization costs include: damaged property, pain and suffering, and the involvement of police and other agencies of the justice system

Problems of Crime Victims • Website link: http: //www. ncvc. org/ncvc

Problems of Crime Victims • Economic Loss: § Problems of Crime Victims • Violent crime by juveniles costs $158 billion per year • Total economic costs of crime amounts to $450 billion annually • The costs of crime for each U. S. citizen is $1, 800 annually • Victims suffer long term losses in earnings and occupational attainment • Research suggests crime victims during adolescence earn about $82, 000 less than nonvictims

Problems of Crime Victims • System Abuse § Callous handling of victims by police § Holding of personal property for evidence § Rape victims report feeling “re-raped” § Economic hardships due to trials

Problems of Crime Victims • Long Term Stress § Posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) § Lowering of self-esteem § Increased risk of suicide § Eating disorders § Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders § Victimization lead to some people feeling timid and cautious § Fear of a repeat attack § Suffer psychological stress for longer periods of time

Problems of Crime Victims • Antisocial Behavior § Victims are more likely to commit crimes themselves § Being abused increases the odds of one being arrested (cycle of violence) § Both males and females are affected by the cycle of violence

The Nature of Victimization § § § Crime rates have been declining The violent victimization rate decreased 54 percent The property crime victimization rate decreased 50 percent

Figure 3. 1 Declining Crime Rates, 1973 -2003

Figure 3. 2 Violent Crime Victimization Rates, 1973 -2003

Figure 3. 3 Property Crime Victimization Rates, 1973 -2003

The Nature of Victimization • The social ecology of victimization § Violent crimes are more likely to occur in open public areas during daytime or early evening hours § Almost two-thirds of more serious crimes such as rape occur after 6 P. M. § Inner-city inhabitants have a greater chance of being victimized than suburbanites

The Nature of Victimization • The Victim’s Household § Larger, African American, Western, and urban homes are the most vulnerable to crime § Recent declines in victimization may be explained by smaller households in less populated areas due to movement from urban areas

The Nature of Victimization • Victim Characteristics § Gender: • Males are more likely to be victims of violent crime than females, except for rape and sexual assault • Females are more likely to be victimized by someone they know, whereas males are more likely to be victimized by strangers § Age: • Young people are more at risk of victimization than older people • People over 65 only account for 1 percent of violent victimizations (most being frauds and scams)

Figure 3. 4 Violent Crime Rates by Age of Victim

The Nature of Victimization • Social Status § Poor people are more likely to experience violent and property crime § The wealthy are more likely to be targets of personal theft crimes

The Nature of Victimization • Marital Status § Never-married people are more likely to be victimized than married people § Widows and widowers have the lowest victimization rate

CNN Clip - Anti-Immigrant House Bombing

The Nature of Victimization • Race and Ethnicity § African Americans more likely to be victims of violent crime than European Americans § Minorities experience income inequality in greater number than European Americans

Figure 3. 5 Violent Crime Rates by Race of Victim

The Nature of Victimization • Repeat Victimization § Individuals who have been a crime victim have a significantly higher chance of future victimization § Characteristics which increase potential for victimization • Target vulnerability • Target gratifiability • Target antagonism

The Nature of Victimization • The Victims and Their Criminals § Males are more likely to be violently victimized by a stranger § Females are more likely to be victimized by a friend or intimate § Crime is intraracial: Blacks victimize Blacks and Whites victimize Whites § Substance abuse is involved in about one-third of violent crime incidents § Women are more likely to be both robbed and raped by known acquaintances

Theories of Victimization • Victim Precipitation Theory – some people may actually initiate the confrontation that leads to their injury or death. § Active precipitation – victim acts provocatively (Menachem Amir 1971) § Passive precipitation – occurs when victim exhibits some personal characteristics that unknowingly either threatens or encourages the attacker.

Theories of Victimization • Lifestyle Theory – certain lifestyles increase exposure to criminal offenders. § Being in a public place late at night § Living in an urban area § High-risk lifestyles (i. e. drinking, drug using) § Criminal lifestyle such as carrying weapons and belonging to gangs

Theories of Victimization • Deviant Place Theory § Victim prone to victimization because one resides in a socially disorganized high-crime area § The more often victims visit dangerous places, the more likely they will be exposed to crime and violence § Deviant places include: poor densely populated areas, highly transient neighborhoods and commercial areas with residential property in close proximity § William Julius Wilson suggests White residents flee high-crime areas, leaving racial minorities behind to suffer high victimization rates

Theories of Victimization • Routine Activity Theory § Victimization results from the interaction of everyday factors • Availability of suitable targets • Absence of capable guardians • Presence of motivated offenders § People who live in “hot spots” elevate their chances of victimization § Some criminologists suggest moral guardianship might cause some people to refrain from crime if they are bonded with conventional attitudes (peer rejection) § Ronald Clarke contends the relationship among opportunity, routine activities, and environmental factors increases victimization potential

Figure 3. 6 Routine Activities Theory

Figure 3. 7 The Opportunity Structure of Crime

Caring for the Victim • • Victimization surveys indicate almost every American will become a victim of a common law crime Helping the victim cope is the responsibility of all of society

Caring for the Victim • The Government’s Response § Task Force on Victim’s of Crime created in 1982 to provide recommendations for victim assistance § In 1984 The Comprehensive Crime Control Act and the Victims of Crime Act authorized federal funding for state victim compensation

Caring for the Victim • Victim Service Programs § An estimated 2, 000 victim-witness assistance programs have been developed § Victim compensation: to pay for damages associated with crime ($100 to $15, 000) § Court services: to help prepare victims and witnesses for court testimony § Public education: to familiarize the general public with primary prevention programs § Crisis intervention: Networks of social service agencies to provide emergency and long term assistance § Victim-offender reconciliation programs: use of mediators for face -to-face encounters between victims and perpetrators § Victim impact statements: allows victims the opportunity to describe their ordeal

Caring for the Victim • Victims’ Rights § Legal scholars have suggested crime victims have legal rights and society is obliged to ensure basic rights for law-abiding citizens § Thirty-three states have added victim’s rights amendments to their constitutions § A national Constitutional Amendment has been debated but has not yet passed Congress § In 2004, the Senate passed S. 2329 a bill to provide rights to federal victims of crime, which does not change the Constitution

Caring for the Victim • Victim Advocacy § Advocates provide assistance to crime victims by interacting with police, courts, and legal aid § Advocates may assist in the writing of victim statements for various legal proceedings such as sentencing and probation/parole hearings. § Advocates may interact with media trying to ensure reporting is accurate and that privacy is not violated

Caring for the Victim • Self-Protection § Target hardening involves making one’s home and business crime proof § Use of fences, guards, surveillance cameras, window bars, warning signs, and dogs § Gary Kleck suggests armed victims kill between 1, 500 and 2, 800 potential felons each year

Caring for the Victim • Community Organization § Neighborhood watch programs § Community newsletters § Home security surveys § Lighting projects