Crime Victims : An Introduction to Victimology

by Andrew Karmen

• ISBN13: 9780534237721
• ISBN10: 053423772X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-11-02
• 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	p. xv
Preface	p. xvii
The Rediscovery of Crime Victims and the Rise of Victimology
The Discovery, Decline, and Rediscovery of Crime Victims	p. 2
The Discovery of Crime Victims	p. 2
The Decline of Crime Victims	p. 2
The Rediscovery of Crime Victims	p. 4
Social Movements: Taking Up the Victims' Cause	p. 4
The News Media: Portraying the Victim's Plight	p. 7
Businesses: Selling Products and Services to Victims	p. 7
The Rise of Victimology	p. 8
The Emergence of a New Focus	p. 8
Highlights in the Brief History of Victimology and Victim Assistance	p. 10
The Need for Objectivity	p. 12
Victimology Compared to Criminology	p. 20
What Victimologists Do	p. 23
Identify, Define, and Describe the Problem	p. 24
Measure the True Dimensions of the Problem	p. 24
Investigate How Victims Are Handled	p. 25
Gather Evidence to Test Hypotheses	p. 26
Victimology Contributes to the Process of Rediscovering Victims	p. 26
The Kinds of Studies Victimologists Undertake	p. 27
Calling Attention to an Overlooked Problem	p. 28
Winning Victories, Implementing Reforms	p. 30
Emergence of an Opposition and Development of Resistance to Further Changes	p. 31
Research and Temporary Resolution of the Dispute	p. 32
The Continuing Process of Rediscovery	p. 32
Groups of Victims That Have Been Recently Rediscovered	p. 34
Chapter Summary	p. 38
Discussion Questions	p. 39
Digging Up the Facts About Crime Victims
Crime in the Streets: The Big Picture	p. 42
The Use and Abuse of Statistics	p. 42
A Closer Look at the Two Official Sources of Victimization Data	p. 46
The Uniform Crime Report	p. 47
The National Crime Victimization Survey	p. 49
Comparing the UCR and the NCVS	p. 52
Using Data to Bring the Big Picture Into Focus	p. 53
Searching for Crime Waves: Detecting Victimization Trends	p. 57
Changes Over Time in Violent Crime Rates	p. 57
Checking Out Whether More Robberies Are Turning into Murders	p. 61
"Your Money or Your Life"	p. 63
Using the UCR to Analyze Murders	p. 64
Murderers and Their Victims	p. 64
Using the NCVS to Analyze Robberies	p. 66
Robbers and Their Victims	p. 66
Findings From the NCVS That Shed Light on Robberies	p. 68
Making International Comparisons	p. 71
Comparing the Murder Rates in Different Societies	p. 72
Assessing Comparative Risks	p. 73
Putting Crime Into Perspective	p. 73
Uncovering Victimization Patterns	p. 76
Recognizing Differential Risks	p. 76
Differential Risks of Being Murdered	p. 77
Differential Risks of Being Robbed	p. 79
Projecting Cumulative Risks	p. 81
Estimating Lifetime Likelihoods	p. 81
Chapter Summary	p. 83
Discussion Questions	p. 84
The Victims' Contribution to the Crime Problem
The Search for Risk Factors	p. 87
The Determinants of Differential Risks	p. 88
Reducing Risks: How Safe Is Safe Enough?	p. 93
From Crime Prevention to Victimization Prevention	p. 94
Ambivalence About Risk Taking	p. 96
Deterrence Theory As Applied to Victims	p. 97
The Controversy Over Shared Responsibility	p. 98
Expressions of Support for Inquiries Into the Victim's Role	p. 99
Victim Facilitation, Precipitation, and Provocation	p. 101
Victim Facilitation	p. 101
Victim Precipitation and Provocation	p. 104
The Frequency of Shared Responsibility in Violent Crimes	p. 106
Recognizing Complete Innocence and Full Responsibility	p. 107
Typologies of Shared Responsibility	p. 107
A Typology of Auto Theft Victims	p. 108
Victim Blaming Versus Victim Defending	p. 110
Victim Facilitation and Auto Theft: Is It the Careless Who Wind Up Carless?	p. 113
Criticisms of the Notion of Shared Responsibility	p. 114
Blaming the Victim for Facilitating the Crime	p. 117
Examples of "Motorist Blaming"	p. 118
Victim Precipitation and Rape: Was It Somehow Her Fault?	p. 119
Victim-Blaming Views	p. 122
Victim-Defending Perspectives	p. 124
Victim Provocation and Murder: When Is the Slaying of a Wife Beater Justified?	p. 125
Arguments Stressing That the Brutal Men Did Not Deserve to Die	p. 127
Arguments Emphasizing That the Brutal Men Provoked the Lethal Responses	p. 129
Transcending Victim Blaming and Victim Defending	p. 132
The Legal Importance of Determining Responsibility	p. 134
Prof Calls for Crackdown on Crime Victims	p. 135
Chapter Summary	p. 137
Discussion Questions	p. 138
Victims and the Criminal Justice System: Cooperation and Conflict
Victims Versus the Criminal Justice System	p. 140
Criticisms of the Way the Criminal Justice System Handles Victims	p. 141
What Do Victims Want: Punishment? Treatment? or Restitution?	p. 142
The System's Shortcomings From a Victim's Point of View	p. 143
Victims and the Police	p. 148
Reporting Incidents	p. 148
Responding Quickly	p. 151
Investigating Complaints	p. 152
Judging Complaints to Be Unfounded	p. 154
Arresting Suspects	p. 156
Recovering Stolen Property	p. 160
Victims and Prosecutors	p. 161
Assisting Victims and Other Witnesses for the State	p. 162
Protecting Victims Serving as Witnesses for the Prosecution	p. 164
Dismissing Charges and Rejecting Cases	p. 167
Negotiating Pleas	p. 169
Victims and Defense Attorneys	p. 171
Postponing Hearings	p. 171
Cross-examining Witnesses During Trials	p. 172
Victims and Judges	p. 174
Granting Bail	p. 174
Sentencing Offenders	p. 175
Appealing to the Supreme Court	p. 178
Supreme Court Decisions Directly Affecting Victims	p. 179
Victims and Corrections Officials	p. 180
Contacting Parole Boards	p. 181
And Justice for All	p. 183
Recognizing "Second-class" Treatment	p. 183
Which Victims Get Better Treatment?	p. 185
Chapter Summary	p. 186
Discussion Questions	p. 186
Special Kinds of Victims: Problems and Solutions
Missing Children	p. 189
Estimates of the Incidence and the Seriousness of the Problem	p. 190
Highlights of the Rediscovery of the Missing Children Problem	p. 191
How Often Are Children Kidnapped, and What Happens to Them?	p. 194
Hunting for Children Who Have Vanished	p. 194
Victimization Prevention Measures	p. 197
Physically and Sexually Abused Children	p. 198
The Rediscovery of Child Abuse	p. 198
Estimates of the Incidence, Prevalence, and Seriousness of Child Abuse	p. 201
More Controversies Surrounding Childhood Sexual Abuse	p. 205
Accusations Made During Divorce Proceedings and Custody Battles	p. 205
The Furor Over Recalling Repressed Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse	p. 206
Strange Allegations of Ritualistic Abuse by Satanic Cults	p. 210
Abused Children and Legal Proceedings	p. 211
Taking the Best Interests of the Child Into Account	p. 212
Handling Charges of Abuse	p. 212
Children as Witnesses	p. 213
Proactive Versus Reactive Strategies	p. 217
More Casualties of Domestic Violence	p. 218
Abuse of Adolescents by Parents	p. 218
Abuse of Parents by Adolescents	p. 219
Sibling Abuse	p. 219
Elder Abuse	p. 219
Violence Between Intimates	p. 221
The Rediscovery of Wife Beating	p. 221
Estimates of the Incidence, Prevalence, and Seriousness of Spouse Abuse	p. 224
Aiding Victims Who Feel Trapped	p. 229
Battered Women and the Criminal Justice System: Violence Is Violence, or Is It?	p. 231
The Police Response	p. 233
The Prosecutorial Response	p. 234
The Judicial Response	p. 235
Preventing Battering	p. 236
The Rediscovery of Other Victims of Beatings	p. 237
Battering Within Same-Sex Relationships	p. 237
The Controversy Surrounding Battered Husbands	p. 238
Victims of Sexual Assault	p. 239
The Rediscovery of the Plight of Rape Victims	p. 239
"Real Rapes" and "Date Rapes"	p. 240
The Consequences of Being Sexually Assaulted	p. 242
Estimates of the Incidence, Prevalence, and Seriousness of Rape	p. 243
The Controversy Over Date Rape on College Campuses	p. 248
How the Criminal Justice System Handles Rape Victims	p. 250
The Controversy Over Unfounded Accusations	p. 251
The Accuser Versus the Accused	p. 254
Rape Shield Laws	p. 255
Force and Resistance	p. 256
Corroboration	p. 257
Arrest, Prosecution, and Adjudication	p. 258
Crisis Centers: Providing Emergency Assistance	p. 259
Unwanted Publicity and Negative Media Portrayals	p. 260
Reducing the Threat of Rape	p. 262
The Rediscovery of More Rape Victims	p. 263
Wives Raped by Their Husbands	p. 263
Sexually Assaulted Males	p. 263
Chapter Summary	p. 265
Discussion Questions	p. 265
Repaying Victims
Gaining Restitution From Offenders	p. 268
Back to Basics	p. 268
The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Restitution	p. 269
Divergent Goals, Clashing Philosophies	p. 273
Restitution as a Means of Repaying Victims	p. 273
Restitution as a Means of Rehabilitating Offenders	p. 274
Restitution as a Means of Reconciling Offenders and Their Victims	p. 274
Restitution as a Means of Punishing Offenders	p. 275
Opportunities Versus Obstacles	p. 275
Evaluating Restitution Programs	p. 280
Winning Judgments in Civil Court	p. 281
The Revival of Interest in Civil Lawsuits	p. 281
The Litigation Process	p. 282
Possibilities and Pitfalls	p. 283
Collecting Damages From Third Parties	p. 286
Suing Private Enterprises	p. 287
Suing Government Bodies	p. 288
Collecting Insurance Reimbursements	p. 290
Private Crime Insurance	p. 290
Patterns of Loss, Recovery, and Reimbursement	p. 291
Federal Crime Insurance	p. 291
Recovering Losses by Turning to Compensation Programs	p. 292
Reimbursement From Government Funds	p. 292
The History of Victim Compensation by Governments	p. 293
The Debate Over Compensation in the United States	p. 294
How Programs Operate: Similarities and Differences	p. 297
Monitoring and Evaluating Compensation Programs	p. 299
Uncovering How Programs Work	p. 299
Measuring the Effects of Programs	p. 301
Confiscating Profits From Notorious Criminals	p. 303
Chapter Summary	p. 304
Discussion Questions	p. 305
Victims in the 21st Century: Alternative Directions
Toward Greater Formal Legal Rights Within the Criminal Justice System	p. 308
Rights Gained at the Expense of Offenders	p. 311
Rights Gained at the Expense of the System	p. 313
Rights Gained at the Expense of Either Offenders or the System or Both	p. 313
Toward Restorative Justice	p. 319
Peacemaking	p. 319
How Reconciliation Programs Work	p. 324
Evaluating Efforts at Reconciliation	p. 326
Pros and Cons From the Victim's Point of View	p. 327
Toward Retaliatory Justice	p. 330
Vigilantism's Frontier Origins	p. 331
Vigilantism Versus Legitimate Use of Force in Self-defense	p. 333
Would Potential Victims Be Better Off If They Were Armed?	p. 334
The Drift Back Toward Retaliatory Violence	p. 338
Chapter Summary	p. 344
Discussion Questions	p. 345
References	p. 347
Appendix	p. 389
Name Index	p. 393
Subject Index	p. 401
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