Victim and Victimology

A victim is someone who experiences loss, hardship or injury at the hands of another person, group or organization--due to an illegal action. And victimology is a scientific study of the relationships between victims and their offenders, as well as victims' interactions with others after their victimization (courts, corrections, investigators, media and society).

Types

According to the textbook "Forensic Victimology: Examining Violent Crime Victims in Investigative and Legal Contexts," there are two main types of victimology: general victimology and penal victimology. The reason for the separate types pertains to the two different perspectives about victims.

General Victimology

General victimology, as a field, seeks to focus on the treatment of victims, prevent future victimization and help victims deal with (or reduce) the consequences experienced from their victimization, without regard to the actual cause of that victimization. Victims of wars, natural disasters and accidents would fall into this generalized category.

Penal Victimology

Penal victimologists (also known as interactionists) are concerned with two research agendas: causation of crime and victimization, as well as the specific role the victim plays in court and other criminal proceedings afterward. Thus, penal victimologists focus on the legal and criminological perspective when conducting victimology.

Significance

According to the United States Department of Justice website, victimology was introduced into the United States mainly through Stephen Schafer's book, "The Victim and His Criminal: A Study in Functional Responsibility."

Source:

Amazon.com -- Forensic Victimology Textbook by Brent Turvey and Wayne Petheric

U.S. Department of Justice - The Beginnings: Victimology