Victimology or the study of victimization is a strand of criminology that separates the victim from the offender and focuses on the victim rather than the crime. This took off in the 1970s, before that victimology was originally used by the scholar Mendelsohn. Benjamin Mendelsohn was the founder and first to actively use the term "victimology". Mendelsohn discovered that there was a relationship between the victim and the criminal that needed to be explored further. In 1947, Mendelsohn began writing about the concept of victimology in his article “A New Branch of the Bio-Psycho-Social Sciences, Victimology.” In his article he had the idea of the formation of the international society of victimology. He wanted victimology to be a separate component of criminology that focuses primarily on the victim. This was the beginning of victimology and the creation of institutions. Today he is considered by many criminologists to be the father of criminology. Mendelsohn was obsessed with the attitude of victims and the role this played in their victimization. This essay will continue to examine victims and victimology and its historical development within criminology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayBenjamin Mendelsohn created the typology of victim blame and stated that there are six categories for which a victim is responsible. It should be suggested that Benjamin held the vast majority of victims to be partially guilty, since only one of the six categories is a “completely innocent” victim. A completely innocent victim according to Mendelsohn was typically a child or someone who was attacked while unconscious. Assuming that a conscious adult, aware and yet victim to some extent of a crime, “asked for it”. One area she worked on was women's consent and how it was handled in the criminal justice system. She stated how rape is legal and when a child is a victim they can be considered an "innocent victim". Sengstock, M. C. (1976). “Victim due to ignorance” This is a victim who unknowingly exposes himself to the risk of being victimized. Evidence has shown that women's clothing can be interpreted as a part of their character and their willingness to have sex, resulting in a male's attention and the possibility of sexual violence. A survey was conducted at 449 universities asking how much they would agree about a woman's character based on her clothing. They agreed with the statement "You can very well understand a girl's character by how she dresses", this implies that clothing is linked to the chances of rape. Below is the “Voluntary Victim”. This is a victim involved in a dangerous scene. An example of this would be suicide, someone who commits suicide is a willing victim because they choose to perform an act that makes them a victim. The perpetrator's most guilty victims would be someone who provokes the perpetrator, not necessarily the primary aggressor, even if they end up in a worse position. An example of this is seen in "Killing in Self-Defense" by Fiona Levericks as she talks about a woman pleading for self-defense while "killing to prevent rape". The most guilty victim is one of the last of the six categories in which a person provokes an attack but becomes a victim, using an example of sexual assault the perpetrator is killed by the victim ultimately makes the perpetrator "The most guilty victim "The imaginary victim. This is a victim making false statements, dependingIn some cases this could be due to psychological problems. Delving deeper into the history of victims and victimology, it has been reported that in 1660 the word victim was used for the first time. It was originally used to describe someone who had been tortured or killed and the term "victim" shows an appearance of passivity where the victim was originally seen as "suffering". Victims were often marginalized and families would need to heal and find closure on their own. They would also need to find justice for themselves instead of using the criminal justice system as individuals do today. Victims were often considered the forgotten part of the justice system as they had been largely underestimated, ignored and undervalued. Looking back in history, women were seen more as victims having been marginalized, but men would have a sense of toxic masculinity that prevented them from reporting crimes. “What happens behind closed doors”, historically police officers did not intervene in family affairs as it was believed that it was the man's job to solve so many cases of domestic abuse were never reported. Another reason why victims have been forgotten is due to the idea that catching a criminal is justice enough. This does not consider the emotional and physical well-being of the victim. The focus of the etiology of positivism is to attempt to measure the level of victimization. It focuses on three fears: identification in an environment that shows a risk of non-random victimization, emphasis on “interpersonal crimes of violence, and identification of victims” who can be held responsible for their victimization. Positivist victimology examines why some victims are more likely to be potentially victimized by looking at their nature or upbringing. Hans von Hentig is a key figure in the development of victimology, he dealt with the relationship between victim and perpetrator. In his book "The Criminal and His Victim" he suggests that there are "psychological or social variables that make an individual prone to victimization". Von Hentig stated that the relationship between the victim and the preparer is not casual but there is a bond between them. He also defined the role of the victim in his victimization as "causing", as he causes or creates a situation that leads to the crime. Cohen and Felson formed routine activity, according to routine activity, there are three main areas that must be exposed for a criminal event to occur. The first key aspect is a motivated offender, the second a suitable target and the third the lack of capable guardians. There have been many tests on theories of offender motivation, yet there are not enough experiments on preventative measures of people and organizations. One criticism of positivist victimology is that routine activity was created in an era when most criminologists and their theories focused primarily on the etiology of crime or the characteristics of individuals who commit crimes. Another criticism is the reliability of the crime data, it also does not take into account the shadowy figures of crime. Victimology is an important element of criminology as it separates victims from the perpetrator. Criminals are mostly focused on the media, and sometimes the criminal justice system pays more attention to the criminal trying to get justice. Victims often feel undervalued within the criminal justice system. 60% of crimes are reported to the police and only 2% end in a conviction, leaving victims feeling unworthy of coming forward, but the way a victim is treated is an important factor as it potentially contributes to their.
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