Understanding Victimology: A Comprehensive Overview

Posted on Aug 29, 2024 in Law & Jurisprudence

What is Victimology?

Victimology is the study of victims. It explores the interactions between victims and offenders, victims and the criminal justice system, and victims and society. Victimologists study the ways in which crime victims are harmed, including physical injury, psychological trauma, and financial loss.

Why Study Victimology?

  • Intellectual benefits
  • Expansion of horizons
  • Practical applications that ease suffering of others and provide a sense of purpose, worth, accomplishment, and satisfaction.
  • To obtain a complete understanding and appreciation of reactions to victimization.

Divisions Within the Discipline

Liberal Influence

  • Scope of field extends beyond street crimes.
  • Endorse government intervention
  • Extend ‘safety net’ mechanisms for all kinds of misfortunes
  • Look to wrongdoers repaying their victims to allow for reconciliation.

Radical/Critical/Conflict Influence

  • Victimization is a result of an oppressive social system
  • Looks toward societal factors such as poverty, unemployment, language barriers, etc. as explanations behind crime.

Conservative Influence

  • Focuses primarily on street crimes.
  • Everyone to be held accountable for their decisions and actions.
  • Emphasis on self-reliance, NOT government
  • Individual responsibility for preventing, avoiding, resisting and recovering from criminal acts.
  • Strictly punish offenders on behalf of their victims.

Victimology vs. Victimism

Victimology is a new academic discipline that means “the study of victims.” It is focused on research about people harmed by criminals. It does not impose a partisan point of view or a set of predictably biased conclusions.

The ideology of “victimism” is a coherent, integrated set of beliefs that shapes interpretations and political action.

Three Types of Bias

  1. May arise from personal experience, taking the form of individual preferences and prejudices.
  2. Derives from the history of the discipline itself. Pioneers in the study of victimology first introduced the concept of victim-blaming. Today, the majority of victimologists are pro-victim.
  3. The Challenge of Objectivity: Victimological research must tell the whole truth regardless of who is disappointed or insulted. Three types of biases undermine the ability of any social scientist to achieve objectivity.

Studying Victimization Scientifically

Subjective Approach

  • Issues are approached from the standpoint of morality, ethics, philosophy, personalized reactions, and emotions.

Objective Approach

  • Requires the observer to be fair, open-minded, evenhanded, dispassionate, neutral, and unbiased.

The Jury System

Jury Selection

  • The venire is the jury pool. Names are drawn from the master jury list and they are asked to report for jury duty.
  • Some exemptions are made: doctors, lawyers, ministers, etc.
  • Compliance with jury duty summonses is a major concern (many people do not report or ask for exemptions).

Voir Dire

  • Voir dire is the examination of a prospective juror to determine if they can be fair and impartial.
  • The process varies tremendously—sometimes only a judge is involved, in other places, lawyers participate too.
  • The scope and intensity of the questioning varies too; it can take a short time or long depending on the case.

Jury Consultants

  • Jury selection has taken a scientific turn.
  • Used in high-profile/expensive cases.
  • Use public opinion polls, focus groups to help write questions for lawyers to use during voir dire.
  • Used more by defense attorneys than prosecutors.

Jury Duty

  • Jury Duty is the only time when citizens perform direct service for their government.
  • Many citizens appear frustrated with having to perform jury service.
  • Most jurors report being satisfied with the process.
  • The government is trying to ease the burden — to get greater compliance.

Rules of Evidence

  • Evidence refers to information presented at trial.
  • Real evidence includes objects (e.g., guns).
  • Testimony – statements by witnesses.
  • Expert witnesses – possess special knowledge or expertise.
  • Direct evidence refers to proof of a fact without other information.
  • Circumstantial evidence indirectly proves a point.

Two Criteria for Judging Evidence

  • Trustworthiness – only the most reliable and credible information should be used. For example, courts avoid hearsay which is secondhand evidence – “my brother told me” – “my brother” is not in court to testify.
  • Relevance – evidence must be related to an issue at trial. The effort is to avoid immaterial or irrelevant evidence.

The Verdict

  • The jury foreperson announces the verdict – the decision of a trial court.
  • After the announcement, either party can ask for the jurors to be polled.
  • Juries convict in criminal cases 2/3 of the time and in civil cases find for the plaintiffs about 50%.
  • Studies show that juries and judges would frequently agree on the outcome.