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CriminalVictimology–abstract
Criminalvictimologyisanewfieldofsocialvictimology.Itsrapiddevelopmenttook
placeintheseventiesandeightiesofthetwentiethcentury.Atthetimeresearchers
paidalotofattentiontocrimevictims.Chapter1describescriminalvictimisationin
general,includingitstheoreticalbasisandfurtherdevelopment,potentialforvicti-
misationandvictimisationsusceptibilitytypesvictimisationstudies,classificationof
victimsofcrime,aswellasdeterminantsofvictimisationandsecondaryvictimisation.
Thetheoreticalcontributionsofvictimisationstudieshavesuccessfullyintroduced
thevictimintocriminologicalanalysis,fillinganexistinggap.Theypromotetheidea
thatcrimeisprocessualandinteractive,althoughovershadowedbythesuddenness
withwhichitsobjectispushedintothestatusofavictim.Theysuggestthatthereis
nosimpleandtransparentlinkbetweenvictimisationandfearofcrimeorbetween
typesofcrimeandtheirimpactondifferentsocialgroups.Theydemonstratehow
crimebecomesmoreconcentratedintime,place,andsociety,andindicatehowsharp
moral,political,andontologicaldivisionsbetweenthevictimandtheperpetratorcan
bedefendedempirically.Theypresentthedangersofgeneralisationandassignment
ofcertaincharacteristicstovictimsandidentifythewaysinwhichthejusticesystem
canaggravatevictimisationandencouragewhatiscalled“secondaryvictimisation.”
Today,wecanbetterassesswhatthetheoreticalperspectivesofvictimisationcannot
anddonotbringtolight.
Thenexttwochaptersdiscussthescopeandeffectsofcriminalvictimisationand
thefearofcrime.Classicalcrimeaffectsacertainnumberofpeople-e.g.,acaseof
propertytheftcanaggrieveoneormorepersons(suchasfamilymembers).Theef-
fectsoforganisedcrimeareincomparablygreater.Everycrimehasanegativeeffect
-therearenovictimlesscrimes.Crimecausesvariouskindsofpsychosocialharmto
thevictims.Victimsofcomparablecrimescanreactdifferentlytotraumaticexperi-
ences.Someofthemneedprofessionalpsychologicalhelpandtreatment,whileothers
dowellwithoutit.Identicalphysicalinjuriesorsimilarmateriallossesmayhavevaried
effects.Victimisationincomparablecasesisofanindividualnature.Therearealsogreat
differencesintheextentofdamagesufferedbythevictims.Itwasonlywhenasurvey
wasconductedofvictimsofcrimeandthestateofcrimethatfearofcrimewasalso
consideredtobesociallyimportant.Theparadoxofhigh-levelfearofvictimisation
amongwomen,evenastheyexperiencelowvictimisationlevelsasagroup,requires
explanation.Attemptstoexplainthisparadoxindicateahighvictimisationratefor
womeninsituationswheretheassailantisanacquaintanceandtheactisreported.This
typeofvictimisationisacommonphenomenonand,infact,itisthesourceofsuch
ahighleveloffearofvictimisationrecordedinthefemalepopulation.
Theissueofthevictimofcrimeissobroadandimportantthatseveralchaptersare
devotedtoit:Chapter4(NewModelofCrimeVictim),Chapter5(RelationsBetween
theVictimandtheOffender)andChapter6(TheVictimastheOffender).Neo-positivist
CriminalVictimology-abstract
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