Crime and Victimology

Presented to:Prof. Carlito C. Luage, MSCrimand MS Class

Presented by:Dan Jerome S. Barrera

ContentsI. Victimology and Criminology

Definitions Origins and Mutual Connection

II. Victims of Violence Violent Crimes Victims Characteristics

III. Measuring Rates of Victimization Crime Rates vs. Victimization Rates The Dark Figure History of Victimization Surveys National Crime Victimization Survey International Crime Victimization Survey

IV. Trends in Crime

I. Victimology and CriminologyA. Definitions

Victimology

Refers to the study of the role of the victim in the commission of a crime (Agas & Guevara, 2008).

The scientific study of victimization, including the relationships between victims and offenders, the interactions between victims and the criminal justice system – that is, the police and courts, and corrections officials - and the connections between victims and other societal groups and institutions, such as the media, businesses, and social movements (Karmen, 1990).

Describes the study of people who have experienced any of the wide range of victimization experiences from any of the following perspectives: the victim, the offender, family and society (Rana, 2006).

The study of the psychological and dynamic interrelationships between victims and offenders, with a view toward crime prevention (Rush, 2000).

Criminology

Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making laws; breaking of laws; and of reacting towards the breaking of laws (Sutherland, 1966 quoted in Manwong, 2008).

Criminology is a body of knowledge regarding delinquency and crime as a social phenomenon (Tradio, 1999).

Refers to the entire body of knowledge of [sic] regarding crimes, criminals and the effort of society to prevent and repress them. The science of crime rates, individual and group reasons for committing crime, and community or societal reactions to crime (Agas & Guevara, 2008).

The scientific study of crime, criminals, criminal behavior, and efforts to regulate crime (Reid, 2000).

B. Origins and Mutual Connection

Criminology Coined by Raffaele Garofalo (1885) as criminologia

Victimology Coined by Frederick Wertham (1949) Coined by Benjamin Mendelsohn (1947)

Nature of Victimology

Victimology

as a

Sub-discipline of Criminology.

II. Victims of Violence

A. Violent Crimes

Rape

Homicide/Murder

Physical Injury

Robbery

B. Victims Characteristics

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1993 1997 2001 2005

Male

Female

Gender

Violent victimization by gender. Violence victimization rate per 1000 age 12 or older

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cv05.pdf, 2005, p. 6.

Age

Violent Crime by Age of Victim. Average rate of violent crimes per 1, 000 persons.Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization,www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cv05.pdf, 2005, p. 4.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

12-15yr

16-19yr

20-24yr

25-34yr

35-49yr

50-64yr

65+yr

2002-2003

2004-2005

Social Status

The poorest Americans are also the most likely victims of violent crime. This association occurs across all gender, age, and racial groups. The homeless, who are among the poorest individuals in America, suffer very high rates of assault.

Marital Status

Never-married males and females are victimized more often than married people. Widows and widowers have the lowest victimization risk.

Race and Ethnicity

African Americans are more likely than European Americans to be victims of violent crimes: For every 1, 000 persons in their own racial group, 26 blacks, 21 whites, and 13 persons of other races sustained a violent crime.

III. Measuring Rates of Victimization

A. Crime Rates Versus Victimization Rates

Crime Rates: FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Victimization Rates: National Crime Victimization Survey

FBI Uniform Crime ReportsCrime Rates

National Crime Victimization SurveyVictimization Rates

Crime Rate = No. of Reported Crimes x 100, 000 Total Population

Victimization Rate = No. of Victimizations x 1, 000 Number of Samples

Reported Crimes Both reported and unreported crimes

Not scientific Scientific

Police department reports to FBI Survey interviews; asking a national sample of persons aged 12 and over

Comparison of the crime rates and the victimization ratesSources: Reid, 2000; and Winslow & Zhang, 2008

B. The Dark Figure

Victimization surveys have uncovered a substantial dark figure, the number of crimes that actually occur but are not recorded by the police. The dark figure exists for many reasons, especially the failure of victims to report crimes and the failure of the police to record all reported crimes (Conklin, 2004).

C. History of Victimization Surveys

1720 – The first effort to measure crime by surveying members of households was carried

out in 1720 in Denmark.

1966 – The first large-scale, systematic effort to measure victimization by interviewing a cross section of a population in United States was conducted by the National Opinion

Research Center.

1973 – US Bureau of Justice Statistics started its victimization surveys.

1989 – The National Crime Victimization Survey was created.

1989 - The International Crime Victims Survey became operational in 1989.

D. National Crime Victimization Survey

The NCVS is a “scientific survey” in the sense that it is a survey based upon the scientific methodology of random sampling. The survey consists of interviews with persons aged 12 and older in a random sample of U.S. households. The interviews pertain to the respondent’s experiences as victims of crime.

E. International Crime Victim Survey

The International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS) was initiated in 1987 by a group of European criminologists with expertise in national crime surveys (Van Dijk, Mayhew, Killias, 1990). The survey was set up to produce estimates of victimization that can be used for international comparison. The survey has evolved into the world’s premier program of standardized surveys looking at householders’ experience of common crime in different countries (Dijk, Kesteren & Smit, 2007).

IV. Trends in Crime

Overall trends in victimization have shown a curved trend since 1988 with a peak in the early or mid 1990s.

The first figure presents the prevalence rates of property crimes, while the second presents the rates of contact crimes and theft of personal property

Trends in crime: average of one year prevalence rates for 5 property crimes in the 15 countries** that participated four times or more. 1989-2005 ICVS and 2005 EU ICS*

Trends in crime: average of one year prevalence rates for three contact crimes and theft of personal property in the 15 countries that participated four times or more. 1989- 2005 ICVS and 2005 EU ICS*

Referances:

Agas, J. & Guevara, R.(2008).Criminology glossary. Quezon Cit: Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc.

Conklin, J.(2004). Criminology (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Dijk, J., Kesteren, J. & Smit, P.(2007).Criminal victimization in international perspective: key findings from the 2004-2005 ICVS and EU ICS: Wetenschappelijk Onderzoeken

Documentatiecentrum retrieved from http://rechten.uvt.nl/icvs/pdffiles/ICVS2004_05.pdf

Maguire, M., Morgan, R. & Reiner, R.(1997). The Oxford handbook of criminology. New York: Oxford University Press

Manwong, R. & Foronda, M. (2009). Criminal justice system. Quezon City: Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc.

Manwong, R.(2008). Fundamentals of criminology (3rd ed.). Quezon City: Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc.

Rana, L. (2006). Encyclopedia of criminology. New Delhi, India: ANMOL Publications Pvt. Ltd.

Reid, S.(2000). Crime and criminology (9th ed.). Boston, USA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Rush, G.(2000). The dictionary of criminal justice: with summaries of Supreme Court cases affecting criminal justice (5th ed.). CA: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill

Siegel, L.(2004). Criminology: theories, patterns, & typologies (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Siegel, L.(2007). Criminology: theories, patterns, & typologies (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Siegel, L.(2008). Criminology: the core (3rd edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth

Winslow, R. & Zhang, S.(2008). Criminology: a global perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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