Crime Victims An Introduction to Victimology (with InfoTrac)

by Karmen, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780534515447
• ISBN10: 0534515444
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-01
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

CRIME VICTIMS: AN INTRODUCTION TO VICTIMOLOGY is a innovative and comprehensive guide that offers balanced coverage on this controversial subject. A must-have for anyone interested in this field!

Table of Contents

Foreword	xv
Preface	xvii
The Rediscovery of Crime Victims and the Rise of Victimology
The Discovery, Decline, and Rediscovery of Crime Victims	2	(6)
The Discovery of Crime Victims	2	(1)
The Decline of Crime Victims	2	(2)
The Rediscovery of Crime Victims	4	(1)
Social Movements: Taking Up the Victims' Cause	4	(3)
The News Media: Portraying the Victim's Plight	7	(1)
Businesses: Selling Products and Services to Victims	7	(1)
The Rise of Victimology	8	(15)
The Emergence of a New Focus	8	(2)
Highlights in the Brief History of Victimology and Victim Assistance	10	(2)
The Need for Objectivity	12	(8)
Victimology Compared to Criminology	20	(3)
What Victimologists Do	23	(3)
Identify, Define, and Describe the Problem	24	(1)
Measure the True Dimensions of the Problem	24	(1)
Investigate How Victims Are Handled	25	(1)
Gather Evidence to Test Hypotheses	26	(1)
Victimology Contributes to the Process of Rediscovering Victims	26	(12)
The Kinds of Studies Victimologisists Undertake	27	(1)
Stage 1: Calling Attention to an Overlooked Problem	28	(2)
Stage 2: Winning Victories, Implementing Reforms	30	(1)
Stage 3: Emergence of an Opposition and Development of Resistance to Further Changes	31	(1)
Stage 4: Research and Temporary Resolution of the Dispute	32	(1)
The Continuing Process of Rediscovery	32	(2)
Groups of Victims That Have Been Recently Rediscovered	34	(4)
Chapter Summary	38	(1)
Discussion Questions	39	(3)
Digging Up the Facts About Crime Victims
Crime in the Streets: The Big Picture	42	(15)
The Use and Abuse of Statistics	42	(4)
A Closer Look at the Two Official Sources of Victimization Data	46	(1)
The Uniform Crime Report	47	(2)
The National Crime Victimization Survey	49	(3)
Comparing the UCR and the NCVS	52	(1)
Using Data to Bring the Big Picture Into Focus	53	(4)
Searching for Crime Waves: Detecting Victimization Trends	57	(7)
Changes Over Time in Violent Crime Rates	57	(4)
Checking Out Whether More Robberies Are Turning into Murders	61	(2)
``Your Money or Your Life''	63	(1)
Using the UCR to Analyze Murders	64	(2)
Murderers and Their Victims	64	(2)
Using the NCVS to Analyze Robberies	66	(5)
Robbers and Their Victims	66	(2)
Findings From the NCVS That Shed Light on Robberies	68	(3)
Making International Comparisons	71	(2)
Comparing the Murder Rates in Different Societies	72	(1)
Assessing Comparative Risks	73	(3)
Putting Crime Into Perspective	73	(3)
Uncovering Victimization Patterns	76	(5)
Recognizing Differential Risks	76	(1)
Differential Risks of Being Murdered	77	(2)
Differential Risks of Being Robbed	79	(2)
Projecting Cumulative Risks	81	(2)
Estimating Lifetime Likelihoods	81	(2)
Chapter Summary	83	(1)
Discussion Questions	84	(3)
The Victims' Contribution to the Crime Problem
The Search for Risk Factors	87	(11)
The Determinants of Differential Risks	88	(5)
Reducing Risks: How Safe Is Safe Enough?	93	(1)
From Crime Prevention to Victimization Prevention	94	(2)
Ambivalence About Risk Taking	96	(1)
Deterrence Theory As Applied to Victims	97	(1)
The Controversy Over Shared Responsibility	98	(39)
Expressions of Support for Inquiries Into the Victim's Role	99	(2)
Victim Facilitation, Precipitation, and Provocation	101	(1)
Victim Facilitation	101	(3)
Victim Precipitation and Provocation	104	(2)
The Frequency of Shared Responsibility in Violent Crimes	106	(1)
Recognizing Complete Innocence and Full Responsibility	107	(1)
Typologies of Shared Responsibility	107	(1)
A Typology of Auto Theft Victims	108	(2)
Victim Blaming Versus Victim Defending	110	(3)
Victim Facilitation and Auto Theft: Is It the Careless Who Wind Up Carless?	113	(1)
Criticisms of the Notion of Shared Responsibility	114	(3)
Blaming the Victim for Facilitating the Crime	117	(1)
Examples of ``Motorist Blaming''	118	(1)
Victim Precipitation and Rape: Was It Somehow Her Fault?	119	(3)
Victim-Blaming Views	122	(2)
Victim-Defending Perspectives	124	(1)
Victim Provocation and Murder: When Is the Slaying of a Wife Beater Justified?	125	(2)
Arguments Stressing That the Brutal Men Did Not Deserve to Die	127	(2)
Arguments Emphasizing That the Brutal Men Provoked the Lethal Responses	129	(3)
Transcending Victim Blaming and Victim Defending	132	(2)
The Legal Importance of Determining Responsibility	134	(1)
Prof Calls for Crackdown on Crime Victims	135	(2)
Chapter Summary	137	(1)
Discussion Questions	138	(2)
Victims and the Criminal Justice System: Cooperation and Conflict
Victims Versus the Criminal Justice System	140	(2)
Criticisms of the Way the Criminal Justice System Handles Victims	141	(1)
What Do Victims Want: Punishment? Treatment? or Restitution?	142	(6)
The System's Shortcomings From a Victim's Point of View	143	(5)
Victims and the Police	148	(13)
Reporting Incidents	148	(3)
Responding Quickly	151	(1)
Investigating Complaints	152	(2)
Judging Complaints to Be Unfounded	154	(2)
Arresting Suspects	156	(4)
Recovering Stolen Property	160	(1)
Victims and Prosecutors	161	(10)
Assisting Victims and Other Witnesses for the State	162	(2)
Protecting Victims Serving as Witnesses for the Prosecution	164	(3)
Dismissing Charges and Rejecting Cases	167	(2)
Negotiating Pleas	169	(2)
Victims and Defense Attorneys	171	(3)
Postponing Hearings	171	(1)
Cross-examining Witnesses During Trials	172	(2)
Victims and Judges	174	(6)
Granting Bail	174	(1)
Sentencing Offenders	175	(3)
Appealing to the Supreme Court	178	(1)
Supreme Court Decisions Directly Affecting Victims	179	(1)
Victims and Corrections Officials	180	(3)
Contacting Parole Boards	181	(2)
And Justice for All	183	(3)
Recognizing ``Second-class'' Treatment	183	(2)
Which Victims Get Better Treatment?	185	(1)
Chapter Summary	186	(1)
Discussion Questions	186	(3)
Special Kinds of Victims: Problems and Solutions
Missing Children	189	(9)
Estimates of the Incidence and the Seriousness of the Problem	190	(1)
Highlights of the Rediscovery of the Missing Children Problem	191	(3)
How Often Are Children Kidnapped, and What Happens to Them?	194	(1)
Hunting for Children Who Have Vanished	194	(3)
Victimization Prevention Measures	197	(1)
Physically and Sexually Abused Children	198	(20)
The Rediscovery of Child Abuse	198	(3)
Estimates of the Incidence, Prevalnce, and Seriousness of Child Abuse	201	(4)
More Controversies Surrounding Childhood Sexual Abuse	205	(1)
Accusations Made During Divorce Proceedings and Custody Battles	205	(1)
The Furor Over Recalling Repressed Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse	206	(4)
Strange Allegations of Ritualistic Abuse by Satanic Cults	210	(1)
Abused Children and Legal Proceedings	211	(1)
Taking the Best Interests of the Child Into Account	212	(1)
Handling Charges of Abuse	212	(1)
Children as Witnesses	213	(4)
Proactive Versus Reactive Strategies	217	(1)
More Casualties of Domestic Violence	218	(3)
Abuse of Adolescents by Parents	218	(1)
Abuse of Parents by Adolescents	219	(1)
Sibling Abuse	219	(1)
Elder Abuse	219	(2)
Violence Between Intimates	221	(18)
The Rediscovery of Wife Beating	221	(3)
Estimates of the Incidence, Prevalence, and Seriousness of Spouse Abuse	224	(5)
Aiding Victims Who Feel Trapped	229	(2)
Battered Women and the Criminal Justice System: Violence Is Violence, or Is It?	231	(2)
The Police Response	233	(1)
The Prosecutorial Response	234	(1)
The Judicial Response	235	(1)
Preventing Battering	236	(1)
The Rediscovery of Other Victims of Beatings	237	(1)
Battering Within Same-Sex Relationships	237	(1)
The Controversy Surrounding Battered Husbands	238	(1)
Victims of Sexual Assault	239	(26)
The Rediscovery of the Plight of Rape Victims	239	(1)
``Real Rapes'' and ``Date Rapes''	240	(2)
The Consequences of Being Sexually Assaulted	242	(1)
Estimates of the Incidence, Prevalence, and Seriousness of Rape	243	(5)
The Controversy Over Date Rape on College Campuses	248	(2)
How the Criminal Justice System Handles Rape Victims	250	(1)
The Controversy Over Unfounded Accusations	251	(3)
The Accuser Versus the Accused	254	(1)
Rape Shield Laws	255	(1)
Force and Resistance	256	(1)
Corroboration	257	(1)
Arrest, Prosecution, and Adjudication	258	(1)
Crisis Centers: Providing Emergency Assistance	259	(1)
Unwanted Publicity and Negative Media Portrayals	260	(2)
Reducing the Threat of Rape	262	(1)
The Rediscovery of More Rape Victims	263	(1)
Wives Raped by Their Husbands	263	(1)
Sexually Assaulted Males	263	(2)
Chapter Summary	265	(1)
Discussion Questions	265	(3)
Repaying Victims
Gaining Restitution From Offenders	268	(13)
Back to Basics	268	(1)
The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Restitution	269	(4)
Divergent Goals, Clashing Philosophies	273	(1)
Restitution as a Means of Repaying Victims	273	(1)
Restitution as a Means of Rehabilitating Offenders	274	(1)
Restitution as a Means of Reconciling Offenders and Their Victims	274	(1)
Restitution as a Means of Punishing Offenders	275	(1)
Opportunities Versus Obstacles	275	(5)
Evaluating Restitution Programs	280	(1)
Winning Judgments in Civil Court	281	(9)
The Revival of Interest in Civil Lawsuits	281	(1)
The Litigation Process	282	(1)
Possibilities and Pitfalls	283	(3)
Collecting Damages From Third Parties	286	(1)
Suing Private Enterprises	287	(1)
Suing Government Bodies	288	(2)
Collecting Insurance Reimbursements	290	(2)
Private Crime Insurance	290	(1)
Patterns of Loss, Recovery, and Reimbursement	291	(1)
Federal Crime Insurance	291	(1)
Recovering Losses by Turning to Compensation Programs	292	(11)
Reimbursement From Government Funds	292	(1)
The History of Victim Compensation by Governments	293	(1)
The Debate Over Compensation in the United States	294	(3)
How Programs Operate: Similarities and Differences	297	(2)
Monitoring and Evaluating Compensation Programs	299	(1)
Uncovering How Programs Work	299	(2)
Measuring the Effects of Programs	301	(2)
Confiscating Profits From Notorious Criminals	303	(1)
Chapter Summary	304	(1)
Discussion Questions	305	(3)
Victims in the 21st Century: Alternative Directions
Toward Greater Formal Legal Rights Within the Criminal Justice System	308	(11)
Rights Gained at the Expense of Offenders	311	(2)
Rights Gained at the Expense of the System	313	(1)
Rights Gained at the Expense of Either Offenders or the System or Both	313	(6)
Toward Restorative Justice	319	(11)
Peacemaking	319	(5)
How Reconciliation Programs Work	324	(2)
Evaluating Efforts at Reconciliation	326	(1)
Pros and Cons From the Victim's Point of View	327	(3)
Toward Retaliatory Justice	330	(14)
Vigilantism's Frontier Origins	331	(2)
Vigilantism Versus Legitimate Use of Force in Self-defense	333	(1)
Would Potential Victims Be Better Off If They Were Armed?	334	(4)
The Drift Back Toward Retaliatory Violence	338	(6)
Chapter Summary	344	(1)
Discussion Questions	345	(2)
References	347	(42)
Appendix	389	(4)
Name Index	393	(8)
Subject Index	401