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Chapter 1: What Is Victimology?
from Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology, 10e by Andrew Karmen
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completing this chapter, the student should be able to:
L01. Define victim.
L03. Define victimology.
L05. Define scientific objectivity.
L07. Differentiate victimology from victimization.
L09. List intellectual and practical reasons for studying victimization.
L011. Identify different disciplinary contributions to the study of victims.
L012. List the steps for conducting a victim-centered analysis.
LESSON PLAN
Correlated to PowerPoints
I. An Introduction to Victimology
A. History and Definitions [Learning Objectives 1 and 2]
1. In ancient societies, a victim was one sacrificed to a supernatural power.
2. People are victims of accidents, natural disasters, diseases, or social problems.
3. Not all types of victimization are outlawed (e.g., overcharging a customer).
See Assignment 1
B. Studying Victimization Scientifically [Learning Objective 3]
1. Victimologists study
2. Victimology must be based on evidence.
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3. Victimology studies real people, not vague entities like “taxpayers.”
C. Focusing on the Plight of Crime Victims [Learning Objectives 4 and 5]
1. A victim’s plight is viewed one of two ways:
a. A subjective approach centers on morality, ethics, philosophy, and
emotions.
i. Used when offenders show callous disregard for human life
ii. Centers around fear, despair, and concerns for public safety
b. An objective approach draws conclusions only from evidence and facts.
i. Does not preclude compassion
ii. Analyzes problems, gathers information, and evaluates remedies
2. Victimologists want to understand the following:
3. Victims are classified as direct or primary victims and indirect or secondary
victims (e.g., loved ones of direct victims, first responders, rescue workers).
What If Scenario
Choose one of the italicized real-world cases on pages 3–5 in the text. Assume that you have been assigned to research the
victim(s) involved. How would you begin? Develop five questions you would ask to gain information about the indirect or
secondary victim(s) involved.
D. What Kinds of Studies Do Victimologists Carry Out? [Learning Objective 6]
1. Victimologists want to explain and predict why certain people are targeted for
crime more than others.
2. Investigating the interactions between victims and their offenders
3. Why Objectivity is desirable
a. Victimologists cannot always be “pro–victim” as victims may be
lawbreakers themselves or share responsibility for the crime.
b. “Legitimate victim” status is socially constructed.
c. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish victims from villains as many do
not meet ideal-type conditions.
d. Victims can be victimizers and victimizers can be victims.
i. Predators often prey upon each other resulting in victim–
e. Victims can find themselves at odds with the “good guys” (e.g., media).
i. Impartiality helps one understand why friction develops and how
to find solutions, if needed.
4. Three sources of bias that thwart objectivity
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See Assignment 2
Media Tool
“Andrea Yates ‘Grieves for Her Children’ 15 Years after Shocking Crime”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id8LTjE1wNc)
-A short video about a mentally ill woman who drowns her five children in a bathtub
-Discussion: Is it clear who the victims are in this case? Is the victimizer clearly determinable? How does this video
affect your views regarding the need for research objectivity?
What If Scenario
Assume that you are a recent victim of a street crime. How might your victimization impact your victimology research? What
steps might you take to ensure objectivity in your work?
Class Discussion/Activity
How do you explain the connection between victimization and subsequent offending behavior? How might our understanding
of this connection impact victim policy?
II. What Victimology Isn’t
A. Victimology versus Detective Work
B. Victimology versus Victim Services
C. Victimology versus Victimism: A Political Point of View [Learning Objective 7]
1. The term victimology has negative connotations in mainstream culture.
3. Victimism is the outlook of people who share a sense of victimhood.
See Assignment 3
What If Scenario
Choose one of the statements in Box 1.4. Assume that you have been asked to respond to that specific victimology “basher”
and his or her particular audience. What would you say? Why do you think people frequently confuse victimology with
victimism?
III. Comparing Victimology to Criminology [Leaning Objective 8]
A. Hierarchy
1. Victimology is an area of specialization within criminology.
2. Historically, much of criminology can be considered offenderology.
B. The Many Parallels between Criminology and Victimology
1. Both disciplines study individuals’ backgrounds and societal situations looking
for causal relationships.
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2. Both emphasize the proper gathering and interpretation of data.
4. Both assess the needs of offenders and the effectiveness of recovery programs.
5. Both estimate the costs of crime.
Class Discussion/Activity
Interview a police officer, prosecutor, defense attorney, someone who has been a victim of a crime, and someone who has
C. Some Differences and Issues about Boundaries
2. Criminologist have agreed to limit their studies to illegal activities, which
excludes forms of social deviance that do not violate criminal laws (e.g., some
forms of bullying). Some victimologists want to study more than criminal
victimization.
Class Discussion/Activity
If the study of criminology has been around for hundreds of years, why do you think victimology emerged only recently?
Why do victimologists disagree about study boundaries? What are the pros and cons of maintaining focus on criminal
victimization? Of expanding that focus?
D. Differing Approaches within the Discipline
1. The conservatives approach
2. The liberal approach
a. Includes street crimes and criminal harm inflicted by corporate
3. The radical left/critical/conflict approach
a. Includes street crimes, criminal activities of officials, and other harms
(e.g., polluters, predatory lenders, fraudulent advertisers)
Media Tool
“Three Ideological Tendencies Related to Victimology” (https://www.correctionsone.com/corrections-1/articles/51175187-3-
ideological-tendencies-related-to-victimology/)
Class Discussion/Activity
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With your classmates, form three teams based on victimology approach: conservatives, liberals, and radicals. Engage in a
healthy debate while advocating for your group’s ideals. What did you learn about your own viewpoints? What did you learn
from listening to others?
IV. Why Study Victimology? [Learning Objective 9]
A. Benefits of Studying Victimology
1. Heightened awareness may reduce some risks and puts fears into perspective.
2. It provides insights about life in contemporary society.
What If Scenario
Assume you teach courses in Criminal Justice at a local university. You have been asked to update the information touting
the study of victimology for the university’s Web-based catalog. What information would you include?
V. Why Place Such an Emphasis on Carrying Out Research?
A. Different Types of Research Studies in Victimology [Learning Objective 10]
2. Descriptive studies use quantitative methods to address questions of who, where,
when, and how.
3. Explanatory studies attempt to discover the causes of the problem (or the
“why?”).
See Assignment 4
Media Tool
“Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Research”
(https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2012/09/strengths-and-weaknesses-of-quantitative-and-qualitative-research.php)
B. Different Disciplinary Approaches when Researching Victim Issues
[Learning Objective 11]
2. Legal and criminal justice approaches focus on laws, regulations, and procedures.
4. Anthropologists study societies that are far away and existed long ago.
5. Economists study finances, gains, benefits, costs, expenses, and losses.
C. Sometimes Research Findings Can Be Surprising!
1. Conventional wisdom is sometimes mistaken or partially true.
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See Assignment 5
D. How to Structure a Victimological Investigation [Learning Objective 12]
1. Step 1: Identify, Define, and Describe the Problem
2. Step 2: Estimate the True Dimensions of the Problem
a. Determine the frequency and consequences of prohibited acts.
3. Step 3: Investigate How Victims and Their Offenders Interacted
4. Step 4: Analyze the Findings and Their Policy Implications
a. Researchers study victim treatment for sources of tension.
LECTURE NOTES
The concept of a victim can be traced back to the practice of religious sacrifice in ancient societies. Over
the centuries, the word has picked up additional meanings and now refers to individuals who suffer injury,
loss, or hardship for any reason.
Victimization is an asymmetrical interpersonal relationship that is abusive, painful, destructive,
parasitical, or unfair. Many forms of victimization are outlawed but not all. For example, paying a worker
a lower wage than he might obtain elsewhere is deceitful but legal. This text focuses on street crime
victims—those who are hurt in some way as a result of an illegal activity based on criminal law.
Victimology is the scientific study of the physical, emotional, and financial harm people suffer because of
illegal activities. Victimologists study the ways in which crime victims are harmed, including physical
injury, psychological trauma, and financial loss. They want to determine whether the injured parties are
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victimizer, so one must be extremely careful in responding. The confusion created by the unrealistically
simple labels of “victim” and “criminal” underscores the need for objectivity.
To further complicate matters, impartiality is called for when injured parties turn out to be offenders
themselves. Predatory persons prey upon each other as well as upon innocent members of the general
public. Of course, it is possible for people engaged in illegal activities to be genuine victims, deserving of
protection and redress through the courts. Often the harms they suffer can be more harmful than the
offenses they commit.
Striving for objectivity is also important because victimologists do not limit their studies to the clashes
between victims and offenders. They are very interested in the social reaction to victimization. Crime
victims can and do become embroiled in conflicts with persons or groups besides the perpetrators who
have directly inflicted injuries or loss. Victims of highly publicized crimes are often outraged by the way
A number of academic orientations enrich victimology. Victimologists who pursue a mental health or
forensic psychological orientation explore how victims react to their misfortunes. Victimologists who
take a historical perspective trace developments from the past to better understand the present, while those
who proceed from an economic perspective try to measure individual and collective costs, losses, and
expenses that result from criminal activities.
Victimology does not have the distinct schools of thought that divide criminologists into opposing camps.
However, in both criminology and victimology, political ideologies can play a significant role in
influencing the choice of research topics and in shaping policy recommendations. As an example,
consider the case of a drug addict who steals to support his habit. Is he a “criminal” who rationally
decides to commit crimes, or is he a “victim” of his addiction? The definition one chooses can influence
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• Step 1: Identify, define, and describe the problem.
• Step 2: Measure the true dimensions of the problem.
at their very best, not at their worst. Victimologists can take part in furthering positive developments and
constructive activities when they seek to discover effective ways of coping with hardships, transcending
adversity, reimbursing financial losses, speeding up the healing process, promoting reconciliation
between parties enmeshed in conflicts, and in restoring harmony to a strife-torn community.
KEY TERMS
indirect or secondary victims: Those that are not immediately involved or physically injured in
confrontations. These may include family members or loved ones of direct or primary victims, and first
responders or rescue workers.
just deserts: Philosophy of retribution; criminals must be punished in proportion to the suffering they
inflicted on their victims.
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objective approach: The study of victims’ plight from the standpoint of science, which requires
researchers to transcend their personal views and experiences, and draw conclusions from solid evidence
and verified facts.
offenderolgy: Characterization of criminology because of its preoccupation with the reasons why
public opinion about specific incidents.
Stockholm syndrome: An emotional realignment wherein captives emerge from a siege with positive
feelings for, and attachments to, their captors.
subjective approach: The study of victims’ plight from the standpoint of morality, ethics, philosophy,
personalized reactions, and intense emotions.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Using the Internet, find a recent news story detailing a crime committed against an individual or
group. Then, do the following:
(a) Define the victim(s) of the crime.
(b) Describe the form of victimization.
(c) Explain how a criminologist’s view of the crime might differ from that of a victimologist. [LO1,
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2. Use a comprehensive scholarly database to search the current research on the relationship between
victimization and offending. Choose three scholarly articles to read. What are the theories that
3. Perform a keyword search in a database for mentions of the term victimology. How do the definitions
of term differ? Is the term misused or confused with the ideology of victimism? Explain your
4. With a group of classmates, choose a type of crime. Create a list of at least 10 questions for which a
5. Generate a list of questions about rape that would be of great interest to a victimologist working
within (a) an anthropological framework, (b) an historical approach, (c) a psychological perspective,
MULTIPLE-CHOICE ANSWER KEY
Chapter 1 You Decide: An Introduction to the Role and Research of Victimologists
Victimology is the scientific study of the physical, emotional, and financial harm that people endure as
a result of illegal activities. Therefore, victimologists and academics conducting research in this field
strive to remain objective, neutral, and unbiased. They may choose to study primary victims–people
who experience the criminal act and its consequences firsthand–or secondary victims–such as family
members and loved ones–who are not immediately involved or physically injured by the criminal act.
The central issue in this scenario examines the growing field of victimology and the important
considerations researchers involved in this discipline must make when conducting research.
Katherine Lambert is a college professor at a major university. She teaches a variety of criminal
justice electives, including sex crimes, victimology, and criminal investigations. Recently, she has
become interested in researching the long-term impact of sexual assault perpetrated by a biological
family member on victims. She designed a research study that involves conducting interviews with
local survivors attending a bi-monthly sexual assault survivor group meeting. Katherine has come
to you, her colleague and a respected professor in the same department, to discuss her new research
endeavor.
Let’s review two concepts before you make a decision about this scenario.
Question 1
How is victimology defined?
a. the study of physical, emotional, and financial harm people endure as a result of illegal activities
b. the study of solving crimes
c. the process of administering beneficial services to crime victims
d. the outlook of people who share a common sense of victimhood
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© 2020 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
c. Incorrect. Victim services is the process of administering services to crime victims. Victimologists
gather evidence and study the plight of crime victims. See “What Victimology Isn’t,” LO3, Bloom’s:
Remember
d. Incorrect. Victimism is the outlook of people that share a common sense of victimhood. See “What
Victimology Isn’t” LO3, Bloom’s: Remember
Question 2
While criminology is the scientific study of behavior of offenders, victimology seeks to understand crime
victims. In order to understand victimization, those researching victimology seek to answer questions.
Which of the following might be a question posed by a victimologist?
a. What types of therapeutic services provided to sexual assault victims are most effective at relieving
stress?
b. What make/model of handgun did an offender use during the commission of a sexual assault that
occurred last night?
c. Can a sexual assault victim serve as an effective witness during trial and provide accurate testimony to
help with the prosecution of the case?
d. How much time has elapsed since a victim was sexually assaulted, and what physical evidence should
the hospital staff collect?
What Would You Do?
Katherine has obtained approval from the university’s IRB (Internal Review Board) to collect data
for her project. The questions Katherine will be asking participants will likely contain content that
some participants might find upsetting. Katherine intends to include a detailed discussion of the
abuse the victims suffered and the impact the abuse has had on them in their adult lives.
As one of Katherine’s close friends and colleagues, you notice that she seems extremely interested in
and abnormally passionate about her project. In passing, you mention to Katherine that she
appears intensely focused on her research, “much more so than ever before.” Katherine admits
privately to you that her driving force is her own experiences as a child: Her biological father
sexually abused her.
What would you do?
a. Suggest to Katherine that due to her previous history, she is not the best person to conduct the
interviews of the sexual assault victims, and ask her to not collect any data. Extend an offer to Katherine,
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Katherine carefully considers your concerns and admits that she may not be the best person to
conduct the interviews of the sexual assault survivors. She admits that due to her own previous
victimization she might be overly sensitized to the plight of other victims and only be able to see the
content from their point of view. Katherine appears somewhat relieved, and takes you up on your
offer to take the lead as the primary interviewer on her research project and collaborate with her
on her research. You meet with her to carefully review the research project goals and the questions
that you will be asking during the interviews.
Let’s review two more concepts before you make another decision about this scenario.
Question 3
A key function of conducting any research in the field of victimology is the importance of utilizing an
objective approach. The objective approach requires that researchers __________.
a. set aside their own feelings and draw conclusions from verified facts
b. approach the topic from a standpoint of morality and ethics
c. incorporate their previous personal experiences into their research
d. include a discussion of their personalized reactions and intense emotions
Question 4
As with any other branch of social science, victimology must be evidence based. Which of the following
is indicative of an evidence-based approach?
a. An assistant police chief assigned the task of improving interactions between officers and victims has
his team review available “what works” literature.
b. A district attorney develops a victim services program based on what he thinks about crime victims
from 20 years of experience as a district attorney.
c. An assistant police chief develops a victim program for police officers based on problems he perceived
from two recent cases.
d. A victim services provider creates a program for victims after speaking with two judges about their
beliefs about crime victims.
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© 2020 Cengage. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
d. Incorrect. Evidence-based research examines facts and is objective, not subjective, in nature. Judicial
opinions are subjective. See “An Introduction to Victimology,” LO5, Bloom’s: Understand
What Would You Do?
After obtaining permission from the director of the sexual assault survivor support group, you
begin appearing regularly at meetings. After several weeks, several members voluntarily come
forward to participate in the study and complete interviews. Interestingly, you are able to interview
a variety of victims of biological sexual abuse, including both primary and secondary victims. After
several months of collecting data, you meet with Katherine. Collectively, you both decide that you
have enough data and can now begin to analyze your content for findings.
While analyzing the data contained in the interviews, Katherine states that the research should be
exclusively limited to examining the impact that victimization had on primary victims. She wants to
exclude the interviews you conducted that examine the experiences of secondary victims, stating
that the experiences of the primary victims are more important and should be the focus of the
study.
What would you do?
a. Agree with Katherine and decide to limit the analysis to include only primary victims. You note that
Katherine had the original idea for the research design. In addition, you recognize the importance of
limiting the findings to only including content related to primary victimization, or victimization that was
Summary A
In limiting the analysis to only include the participants of the research study who are primary
victims, you will produce a much more concise research finding. Your research will hopefully add
to or support previous studies that examine the same demographic of victims. In the future you
may want to examine the data collected from the secondary victims and perhaps publish a study
examining the impact of secondary victimization.
To learn more about primary and secondary victims and the examination of research related to
Summary B
In expanding the analysis to include both primary and secondary victims, you will produce a much
more diverse research finding. You will be able to discuss the impact that intra-familial biological
sexual assault has on both type of victims. Based on the findings contained within the research, you
may be able to compare and contrast the experiences of both types of victims. Your research will
hopefully add to or support previous studies that examine the same demographic of victims.
To learn more about primary and secondary victims and the examination of research related to
Katherine acknowledges your minor concerns and informs you she appreciates your assessment.
She admits that while some may see her previous victimization as a threat to objectivity, she intends
to approach her research impartially and intends to put aside her own personal experience and
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emotions. She does ask that you consider joining her in her collection of data, and potentially
collaborating with her on the project, especially if the interviewing of the participants becomes too
emotionally taxing for her. You agree to assist Katherine with her research project.
Several weeks later, Katherine comes to you and asks you to take the lead as the primary
interviewer on her research project. She informs you that in reviewing the research questions and
the previous literature she found herself becoming emotional and questions her ability to conduct
the required interviews. You agree to help and meet with her to carefully review the research
project goals and the questions that you will ask during the interviews.
Let’s review two more concepts before you make another decision about this scene.
Question 3
A key function of conducting any research in the field of victimology is the importance of utilizing an
objective approach. The objective approach requires that researchers __________.
a. set aside their own feelings and draw conclusions from verified facts
b. approach the topic from a standpoint of morality and ethics
c. incorporate their previous personal experiences into their research
d. include a discussion of their personalized reactions and intense emotions
Question 4
As with any other branch of social science, victimology must be evidence based. Which of the following
is indicative of an evidence-based approach?
a. An assistant police chief assigned the task of improving interactions between officers and victims has
his team review available “what works” literature.
b. A district attorney develops a victim services program based on what he thinks about crime victims
from 20 years of experience as a district attorney.
c. An assistant police chief develops a victim program for police officers based on problems he perceived
from two recent cases.
d. A victim services provider creates a program for victims after speaking with two judges about their
beliefs about crime victims.