Victimology Is the Branch of Criminology Dealing

Victimology is the branch of criminology dealing with victim characteristics, victim data, and patterns of victimization. The study of victimology is useful to criminologists for a variety of reasons. Victimology can help show which populations are at greater risk for which crimes, thereby allowing more effective public policies and anti-crime initiatives. Likewise, knowing which populations are at greater risk for which crimes can help law enforcement prevent crimes. Victimology can also be used to point out potential flaws or loopholes in the criminal justice system, which may be harmful to victims or to justice in general. One of the most important functions of victimology is to allow for the development of victim assistance programs. Programs to help victims range from legal counsel and advocacy to ongoing support and psychological counsel, to community-wide safety measures. Victimology takes the focus off the criminal and even the crime. Doing so helps divert media attention to the underlying issues rather than glorifying criminal behavior.

According to the FBI (2014), victimology arose from the victim rights movement of the 1970s and 1980s, and "resulted in the creation of many programs designed to assist victims of crime and in the passage of laws at the local, state, and federal level establishing certain rights for victims," (p. 1). At this point, all states do have victim compensation programs that may help cover some, but not all expenses associated with the crime (FBI, 2014). Some of the expenses the state may be able to provide include the cost of funeral services or medical care. The victim may also be entitled to compensatory measures that were acquired from the trial, as collection of punitive damages may be the case. As Conklin (2012) likewise notes, offender restitution, victim-offender mediation, victim related services, and direct compensation are currently available because of advancements in applied victimology.

Unfortunately, there is great variety and inconsistency in these victim advocacy programs, and each state may have its own set of rights and procedures for victims (FBI, 2014). Less mutable are the constitutional rights of victims. One of the roles of victimology is to promote victim advocacy and empowerment, which can in part be achieved through comprehensive public education and awareness campaigns. For instance, victims need to know what their rights are after a crime has been committed, including their right to be protected further from the accused, the right to be notified in cases where the perpetrator has been released from prison, the right to retrieve stolen property if the police have relocated it, the right to notification of pending trials for the accused, the right to be present at pertinent court proceedings, the right to consult the prosecuting attorney, the right to timely resolution of the case, the right to access information, and the right to be treated with fairness and dignity at all times (FBI, 2014). Many of these rights are facilitated by the Victim Notification System, which allows the individual access to information about the pending trial or case.

The variables studied by victimologists include gender, age, occupation, marital status, drug use history, neighborhood dynamics, and rates of crime in the community (Morton, Tillman & Gaines, n.d.). Demographic and other types of variables inform which persons are more at risk for which crimes. Generally, criminal justice workers classify victims as being low, moderate, or high risk (Morton, Tillman & Gaines, n.d.). The three primary criteria for victimization in general include accessibility or availability, in crimes of opportunity. In other words, the victim happened to be in the right place at the right time from the criminal's point-of-view. Ease of access to victims facilitates the perpetration of crime. A second factor for victimization is vulnerability. Some victims are more vulnerable due to features like physical health or age. For example, some seniors are more vulnerable to financial scams. Finally, desirability of the victim plays a role in many crimes, and especially does in ritual serial offenders who choose their victims specifically based on their characteristics like physical appearance (Morton, Tillman & Gaines, n.d.). In addition to the three primary features of accessibility, vulnerability, and desirability, there are several sub-factors. These include the presence of motivated offenders in the area, victim social or political associations, victim behavioral characteristics or patterns, participation in high risk activities, and cultural stigmatization (Fattah, 2000).

According to Fattah (2000) victimology has undergone major changes in methodology over the past several decades. Victimology has always relied somewhat on macro-level issues like statistics. What has changed primarily has been the role of theory, which theories become prevalent, and how those theories inform public policy. Victimology has become less theoretical in its orientation and more concerned with practical and pragmatic applications to actual victims (Fattah, 2000). Many countries in addition to the United States have comprehensive victim advocacy programs and services due to the globalization of victimology. In fact, the United Nations has its own victimology report (Fattah, 2000).

Victimology can help law enforcement predict when crimes may occur, where they may occur, and to whom. Thus, victimology encourages a preventative approach to crime. It corresponds well with community policing programs, but victimology can also be used in jurisdictions using other models of policing. Victimology enhances crime prevention for several reasons. It allows law enforcement to address the root causes of crime, based on theoretical viewpoints like broken windows theory. Without becoming overly protectionist, law enforcement can gather support for initiatives that improve the community in ways that reduce opportunities for crime and therefore reduce the potential for victimization. The application of broken windows theory to victimology can be especially helpful in at-risk communities with greater procilivities to crime (Sampson & Raudenbush, 2004). By identifying and focusing on risk factors rather than on crime, law enforcement can monitor activities that actually prevent crimes from occurring in the first place.