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Lesson 3 – Crime Victims

Robert WonserIntroduction to CriminologyCrime and Delinquency

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Defining Victims

• What is a crime victim?•Someone who suffers because of a crime•People can be victimized without being victims of crime•Corporations•Civil liberties/human rights

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Collective Victimization

• Neglected topic

• Mass victims of•White-collar crime•Violations of human rights

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Who are Victims?

Victims Offenders

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Patterning of Victimization

• Geographical patterns•Higher violent victimization in west and Midwest•Higher property victimization in west

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Social Patterns of Victimization

• Gender• Males have higher levels of victimization

• Race/Ethnicity• Native Americans—highest violent victimization rates• African–Americans/Latinos have high rates of victimization

• Family income• Lower income=higher victimization risk

• Age• Young people=higher victimization risk

• Age/Race/Gender combined• Young, African-American, males=higher victimization risk

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Victim-Offender Relationship

• Strangers• Account for 41% of all offenses• 52% of male victims were victimized by

strangers• 27% of female victims were victimized by

strangers

• Friends/Family/Acquaintances• Account for 59% of offenses• Most victims know the offenders

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Intimate-Partner Violence (IPV)

• Majority of non-stranger violence is committed by friends and acquaintances

• Intimate partner (spouses, ex-spouses, and partners) violence• Rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated/simple assault

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Perceived Race/Gender/Age of Offenders

• Offender/Victim characteristics similar•Whites account for majority of crimes•African-Americans are disproportionately represented in crime statistics•Males are predominant offenders

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The Offender/Victimization Myth

• Crime is predominantly intraracial•Offender/Victim are from same race

• Crime is not predominantly interracial•Offender/Victim are from different races

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Crime Characteristics

• Use of alcohol and drugs• Offenders under influence of alcohol/drugs in almost half

of all crimes

• Time and place of occurrence• 43% of crime occurs at night (6:00pm-6:00am)• Majority of violent crime occurs at/near the home

• Use of Weapons• Weapons used in about 20% of all crimes

• Self-Protection and resistance• 60% of victims try to stop the crime (threats, run away,

or persuasion)

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Explaining Victimization

• Situational Explanations•Lifestyle and Routine Activities Theory•Deviant Lifestyles•Proximity

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Victimization Theories

• Lifestyle and routine activities theory•Most popular theories•Based on individual•Habits•Behaviors• Lifestyles

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Lifestyle Theory

• Some lifestyles are more at risk for victimization•Spending a lot of time in bars or nightclubs•Spending time with criminals

• Increases victimization opportunity

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Routine Activities Theory

• Victimization requires:• Motivated offender• Suitable target• Lack of capable guardian

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Deviant Lifestyles

• Criminals have a better chance of being victimized• Spend time in high crime areas• Retaliation• Criminals cannot call police for help•Drinking/Drug use

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Physical Proximity and Victimization

• Areas with high crime rates also have high victimization rates

• 3-5% of all city locations account for roughly 50% of a city’s crime

• “Hotspots”• Bars/Taverns

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Repeat Victimization

• Those who have been victimized are more likely to be victimized again

• Three-fourths of violent crime victims and almost all property crime victims will be victimized more than once

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Demographic Variation of Victimization Explained

• Gender

• Race

• Ethnicity

• Age

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Victimization of College Students

• College students• Lead high risk lifestyles•Male students • African-American students

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The Homeless• NCVS excludes this

group

• High-Risk lifestyle

• High-Crime areas

• Studies indicate high rate of victimization of the homeless

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Costs and Consequences of Victimization

• Economic/Medical costs

• Most serious offenses in 2008 cost $17.4 billion in direct costs

• Only 14% of victims recovered money or property

• 7% of victims lost time from work

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Costs and Consequences

• Has long term effect on adolescents in terms of education and occupation

• More than one-third of robbery victims are physically injured

• More than one-fifth of assault victims are physically injured

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Psychological Consequences

• Victimization especially traumatic for some• Crimes• Individuals

• Impact of stranger vs. known offenders

• Indirect victimization

• Victims’ views about criminal justice system

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Social/Behavioral Consequences

• Victims likely become criminals

• Vicarious victimization• Family members

• Neighborhoods

• Social relationships• Stunted

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Victims in the Criminal Justice System

• Victims experiences in the CJ system

• Second victimization

• Victim services/programs

• Victim-Impact statements

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Victims and Criminal Case Outcomes

• Prosecutors prefer “good victims”•Well educated and articulate

• Prosecutors avoid “bad victims”• Prior criminal history• Provocation of the defendant

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White-Collar Crime Victimization

• Victimization research focuses on street crime not white-collar crime.•Why?• Bias in favor of those in power.

• Lack of:•Data (not collected in NCVS)•Research