One of the factors that influence a victim’s ability to cope is the degree of the threat to life and depth of physical injury incurred during the crime (Cook, David & Grant, 1999). A victim would have a more difficult time adjusting to life and coping after a crime when the possibility of death was eminent. Here, the level of trauma would be immense when they narrowly escape death. The same applies when there is a lot of physical injury. The rationale for this is that one would be reminded of what happened all the time, which makes it harder for them to cope. It is profoundly difficult to forget events that had a lot of impact on both the body and mind. In addition to this, one would have a harder time coping with the occurrence of a crime …show more content…
Moreover, another factor that perpetrates this situation is the presence of a history of victimization. In this case, if an individual has been victimized before, they would not cope as well as those who face victimization for the first time. There is a lot of trauma and distress involved in the former than it is in the latter. One other factor that has been justified by research is comparison to other victimsHow a victim compares him or herself with the others more often than not determines how they will cope. For instance, a victim can initiate the aspect of upward comparison, where they compare themselves to the victims they come across that are better off. Optionally, they can use the downward comparison, where they see their situation as being better off than that of other victims. Those who use the former tend to have a difficult time coping, while those who employ the latter will have a much easier time doing the …show more content…
They help victims navigate through the justice system and attain the kind of closure they need to move on. The first of such programs are police-based victim services. Here, police departments work hand in hand with the community and create units that are meant to help victims cope better after a crime. The units provide crisis interventions, counseling, information, and general practical assistance to victims of crime. They are usually confidential units that involve professionals both from the community and police departments that work hand in hand with the victims of crime. In other cases, such unites usually provide victim protection services in cases where a victim is required to testify for closure of a case or so as to propel justice. The services of such a unit or program are often carried out over a specific period, for instance, two to three weeks(Freedy, Resnick, Kilpatrick,Dansky& Tidwell, 2014). Apart from this, there is also crown or court based services. Such have services like victim assistance and are nearly available in all courthouses. Here, the services help the victims to understand their participation in the processes involved in the criminal justice system as appropriate to their involvement in a crime. They are given the needed orientation, introduced to the court system, and tutored on what is expected of them in the process
Conner, Michael G. “Coping and Surviving Violent and Traumatic Events.” Crisis Counseling. 24 Aug 2011. Web.
…many people now acquire "victimhood" through counseling. Being a "victim" draws sympathy. It explains the tragedies, the failures, the hardships, the health problems and the disappointments of life. It relieves people of some of life's natural burdens: dealing with complexity, facing things beyond their control, and accepting responsibility for decisions and actions.
Grounds (2004) contends that twelve of the men met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Their symptoms are directly related to specific threats of extreme violence. Victims gave examples which included nightmares of assaults that occurred while incarcerated and panic attacks in response to police sirens. In sixteen cases, other psychiatric disorders were evident. Ten of them suffered from a type of depressive disorders, five had features of a panic disorder, four had symptoms of paranoia, and three had acquired a dependence on drugs and/or alcohol. In addition, chronic sleeping problems, moodiness, and irritability were increased in all cases. Exonerated victims are often suddenly release which creates problems with adjustment. Their functioning of practical tasks, such as using ATM’s or crossing busy roads, mandated humiliating struggles with coping. Adaptation to new physical surroundings creates tension because of the change in predictable and ordered prison cell environment. Friends and family report confusion about the victim’s withdrawal and avoidance of social contact. These individuals have often lost their sense of purpose. They may have lost their family, homes, and most importantly- hope. Coping with lost time involves managing circumstances that occurred during incarceration such as deaths, weddings, relating to their children, and cultural changes.
There are always those moments when we make decisions that affect the rest of our lives, turning left when we should have turned right. The difference is that most times we live to regret those decisions unlike Carla and her ill-fated jog to her death. There have been throughout time theories as to why offenders commit crime and what drives them to go against all social norms, but now the discussion in the last 50 years, or so, has been what and how much responsibility the victim has in what makes them an attractive target and how their daily routines can even make then more susceptible to crime. The three theories of victimization I found are the Victim Precipitation theory, the Deviant Place theory, and the Lifestyle theory. Each theory has
Trauma is an incident that leads to a great suffering of body or mind. It is a severe torture to the body and breaks the body’s natural equilibrium. It is defined as an emotional wound causing a psychological injury. American Psychological Association, defined trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks and strained relationships. J. Laplanche and J. B. Pontalis assert, “Trauma is an event in the subject life defined by its intensity by the subject’s incapacity to respond adequately to it, and by the upheaval and long lasting effects that it brings about in the psychical organization” (qtd. by Hwangbo 1).
It is essential to understand the attacker’s attitudes and behaviors in order for a positive change. Victimology’s main goal is studying and researching the different patterns. Gaining a better understanding of the victim, the attacker, and the “how” the crime may have been implemented will help society train and become insightful in the ever increasing crimes that lead to victimization. This brings an increase to victim awareness; trains the appropriated organizations in fighting this issue; and allows insight in such events for future prevention or helpful recoveries. There is an enormous gap between our knowledge about the reasoning of the crime. In order to close this gap, the involvement of the victim into this equation is a necessity in order for any recovery for those victimized by the crime and for possible prevention of victimization. The study of the victim, the precursors, the vulnerabilities, and the responses will always be an important and integral part of this puzzle. So what can victimology accomplish? Applied victimology applies the research and knowledge from its study to assist the victims through practiced training and to succeed in reducing victimization. Four theories expanded and developed through this scientific study and research; this leads to the first
Violence: injuries that are the leading cause of death and disability for people aged 1 to 34 years in the United States. Violence is the threatened or actual use of physical force or power against another person, against oneself, or against a group or community, that either results in injury, death, or deprivation. Violence has become a national epidemic and a major public health issue. In a 1998 study by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, 64.8% of the 405 African Americans surveyed viewed domestic violence as one of the most serious issues facing their community. Approximately one in three African American women are abused by a husband or partner in the course of a lifetime. Of the women who die from domestic violence, 28% are African American. Many people agree that African Americans are one of the most violent races in America. But this is a racial stereotype; constructed beliefs that all members of the same race share given circumstances. Despite the perception that African Americans are prone to violence, those who took part in the Civil Rights Movement earned their equality through non- violent means.
The individual’s mind has various methods of protecting the self by identifying a scenario and applying certain defense mechanisms. This part of the mind is called the psyche, which acts as the brain’s defense mechanism when one deals with trauma or sadness. Most often, people do not even realize they are being protected by the psyche, because its job is to make one become unaware of their potential intense feelings. This feeling of unawareness is called dissociation, which Martha Stout refers to in her essay, “When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday.” Dissociation isolates memories so that one can function properly without letting their emotions take over. Stout explains that trauma
First we need to look at what is Victimology and where did it come from? The origins of Victimology can be traced back to the 1940’s to the 1950’s and early 1960’s it erupted after World War II to seek and understand the relationship between criminal and victim. It began when criminologist had came together to examine the victims of crime at a university. ‘Criminology is the science upon which victimology is founded’ (Wallace; Roberson 2) and when two criminologists, “The founding fathers of Victimology” Mendelsohn and Von Hentig first began the field of victimology by using charts and analysis of different types of crimes of victims. They studied the behaviors and vulnerabilities of victims like, rape victims and murder victims. How some of the ways that some of us can relate to of what a victim is. As Wallace; Roberson writes:
For individuals that have experienced this disturbing event, the effects can be described in terms of different phases in which they go through. During the impact phase, which occurs immediately after the attack, the victim tends to fall apart inside. They often experience shock, which has a sudden and powerful effect on emotions and physical reactions, or denial, which is a state of mind marked by a refusal or inability to recognize and deal with what has occurred (Bard and Sangrey, 1979, pg. 34). When the victim is in shock they often ask themselves “why me?” When going through denial, the victim may have an inability to accept what has happened and they are unsure if the event has really occurred. Sometimes victims in this phase may feel “numb and disorganized”(Bard and Sangrey, 1979, pg. 34). When the victim feels numb, they often experience a detachment from their lives and have a sense that they are separate from the ongoing world around them. D...
...mmunity involvement in justice and to provide on-site support services for victims (Hall 2010, p. 196). Although reforms to prevent crime have been increasingly influenced by victims, they are still widely recognised as neglected parties in the criminal system, mainly during the prosecution and sentencing of offenders (Strang, Heather, Lawrence W. Sherman 2003).
Christie (1986) outlined five attributes that an ideal victim requires, he notes that a ‘victim’ is a subjective concept, heavily influenced by a person’s perception of a situation. According to Christie, a victim is considered ideal if she/he is weak, carrying out a respectable project, in a place where she/he cannot be blamed for being, the offender must be ‘big and bad’ and unknown to the victim. Even if individuals meet these requirements, some are still deemed a non-ideal victim and are subjected to victim-blaming. Victim-blaming involves implying and placing the responsibility of the crime on the victim rather than the perpetrator (SACE, 2024). The phenomenon of victim-blaming has been explored extensively, and several theories have emerged
...lity that the victim may actually be partly to blame for the crime that was committed against them. Therefore it is often the environment that the criminal lives in, and the people that around them that influence them into committing a criminal act.
Understanding the theories of victimology is important to understand the victims, we need to understand the four main theories of victimization. These theories are the principals of victim assessment. It will give the officer the tools to understand the motive behind the victimization giving him different types of views to analyze the victim. The four main theories of victimization are: Victim Precipitation, Lifestyle, Deviant Place, and Routine Activity. These four theories according to victimology give us the idea of how the victim become to be a victim. The word Victimization meanings “an act that exploits or victimizes someone” and “adversity resulting from being made a victim” (Vocabulary.com. Dictionary Victimization (2017)). By understanding the victim and the influences of their social life is important so we can give the victim the treatment and
Trauma is a psychological reaction to sudden traumatic events and overwhelming issues from outside. Additionally, the exposure to activities that are outside the human’s normal experiences. Traumatic events become external and incorporate into the mind (Bloom, 1999, p. 2). Traumatization happens when the internal and external forces do not appropriately cope with the external threat. Furthermore, trauma causes problems because the client’s mind and body react in a different way and their response to social groups. The symptoms of trauma relate to irritability, intrusive thoughts, panic and anxiety, dissociation and trance-like states, and self-injurious behaviors (Bloom, 1999, p. 2). Childhood trauma happens when they live in fear for the lives of someone they love (Bloom, 1999, p. 2). Judith Herman’s trauma theory states that the idea of repressed memories relates to unconscious behavior. These repressed behaviors include those inhibited behaviors relate to memories of childhood abuse. From McNally’s point of view memories of trauma cannot be repressed especially those that are more violent (Suleiman, 2008, p. 279). In addition, one of the theories used to dealing with trauma includes the coping theory. With situations, people tend to use problem-solving and emotion-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping happens when people are dealing with stressors. When the stressors become more