Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Victimology (Facts and figures (Men are more than twice as likely to be…
Victimology
-
Feminism and victims
Feminists argue the reason domestic violence happens result of unequal power balance between genders.
Stanko claimed women's fear of crime used to control them in society. Women have to restrict their behaviour, e.g. dressing less provocatively.
Laws biased against women and crimes against them go unreported, e.g. rape and domestic abuse.
-
Marxist feminists: domestic violence happens because men are frustrated with their lack of control experienced in capitalist society.
Critical victimology
-
Focusses on 2 main factors:
Structural factors, e.g. patriarchy and poverty, powerless groups, i.e. women and poor at greater risk of victimisation. Walklate argued victimisation is a form of structural powerlessness.
State's power to apply/deny label, term is social construct like crime or criminal. The CJS apply label to some and not others.
Tombs and Whyte safety crimes, violations of work laws resulted in death or serious injury explained by fault of 'accident prone workers'. Like many rape cases, denying victims victim status and blames them for their fate.
They refer to ideological function of 'delabelling' true extent of victims or victimisation is hidden so hides crimes of the powerful. In hierarchy of victimisation, powerless most likely to be victims but least likely to be acknowledged by the state.
Criticisms: Critical victimology disregards victims role in own victimisation through own choices. (not making home secure).
Useful approach as draws attention to the fact 'victim status' constructed by those in power and how benefits ruling class.
Positivist victimology
Miers claims it has 3 features:
Aims to identify factors producing patterns in victims.
Focusses on crimes of violence.
Aims to identify those who have contributed to own victimisation.
Looks at victim proneness, referring to social and psychological characteristics that make them more likely to be victims of crime. Hans Von Hentig 13 defining characteristics of victims, e.g. elderly, females, mentally ill, living in poverty. Because of personality type more likely to be victims and 'invite' victimisation. Higher classes can be more likely as display wealth and set them up for burglary and theft.
Example: Wolfgang conducted research into 588 homicides in Philadelphia , 26% of victims involved in victim precipitation where victim initiates the event. Often when victim is male and perpetrator is female, male starting it female committing the crime.
Evaluation:
Brookman says Wolfgang's study highlights victim-offender relationships, matter of chance of who is the victim, so characteristics can't be linked to all victims.
Takes interpersonal factors of victimisation ignores wider structural factors, e.g. patriarchy.
Criticised for 'victim blaming', Amir says 1/5 of rape is precipitated saying victim 'asked for it'.
Ignores situations where victims unaware of victimisation, e.g. crime against environment.