2 questions Victimology (Study Guide Attached)

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Study Guide

To begin the study of victimology, it is important to understand what it is. In the simplest of terms, victimology is the study of victims or the victims of a certain type of offender, and this field emerged in the 1940s and 1950s (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). It focuses on the victim, the offender, and society with both a research and a scientific basis. The idea of what a victim truly is can sometimes be hard to define. Sometimes, being a victim is based on the law, involving injury, conduct, or fault. Primitive laws set the following guidelines: Acts that injured others were considered wrong. The injured party was entitled to take action against wrongdoer. In-kind retaliation was typically action taken. The Code of Hammurabi was one of the first attempts to establish some type of written code of conduct. This code actually had a concern for victims’ rights, which sometimes, even in present day law, are forgotten. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s that the U.S. Supreme Court established principles related to the constitutional rights of individuals that were both procedural and civil in nature (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). Understanding the criminal justice system is an important element in understanding victimology. Many people have been victimized or feel victimized once they become involved in the justice system. In early history, state courts took care of most cases; later on, the federal system began to have jurisdiction over crimes and civil matters, and therefore, our system is dual and consists of state and federal courts. Both parts of our court system are based on the principles of federalism and geography or type of case to distinguish the jurisdiction of the court. Within the court system, you will find state, federal, and juvenile courts. Within the criminal justice (CJ) process, there are typical parties or agencies you will encounter (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). These include the following: the victim, the perpetrator, law enforcement, the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the courts, and the correctional system. Each of these actors or parts of the criminal justice system work together for the criminal trial procedures. They work together on pleas and function to make the justice system flourish and work appropriately. UNIT I STUDY GUIDE History of Victims CMJ 3307, Victimology 2 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Aside from understanding how the court process works, it is also important to understand how crime is measured and the effects of such reports. The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NCVS) are the most commonly referred to crime reports used by agencies and academics. The UCR is nationwide, and the FBI is in charge of it. More than 1600 city, county, and state agencies contribute to its data. The NCVS is completed by the National Institute of Justice. Every three years this reporting system completes interviews to capture the dark side of crime: that which is not reported through the UCR. The NCVS is a form of self-reporting that uses questionnaires and invites respondents to discuss whether they were involved in offenses that are listed (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). Being familiar with the court process, the history behind the courts, the legislation involved with victims, and how crime victimization data is collected is all pertinent to understanding the concept of victimology. This concept will assist you in the field in multiple ways. It is important to understand the victim behind a crime, not just who committed the crime, in order to be a good practitioner.

Reference

Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2015). Victimology: Legal, psychological, and social perspectives (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.