History of Victimology - Term Paper Example

Introduction to and History of Victimology Abstract As an academic discipline, victimology has been a recent development. In the past, it is considered a branch of criminology. But in the 1940s and 1950s, through the help of scholars, movements, and activists, victimology finally became an independent academic field. Victimologists and, more particularly, victims began to gain influence within the criminal justice system. Victims’ rights became a part of the U.S. constitution. Victimologists began using various methods, such as case studies, to accurately understand victims’ plight. However, there is still a need for further research and a stronger connection between theory and practice. Today, victimology is on its way of becoming an international discipline. This essay discusses the history of victimology, as well as its future possibilities. Introduction Victimology is the systematic study of the emotional, physical, and economic damages victims endure because of unlawful acts. Primarily, victimologists look into the victim’s predicament: the degree of harm and the effect of the damages meted out by criminals on the individuals they victimize (Marsh, Cochrane, & Melville, 2004). Furthermore, victimologists conduct investigations of the economic, social, and political responses of the public to the victim’s predicament. They also look at how victims are dealt with and treated by departments and authorities within the criminal justice system (Marsh et al., 2004). But how did victimology come into being? The origins of victimology can be traced back to a number of studies and written works pioneered by criminologists six decades ago. Until that time, the focus of criminology was totally on offenders. In due course, a number of criminologists looking for answers to crime issues were guided toward the essential role played by victims (Lehner-Zimmerer, 2011). This essay discusses the history and future direction of the academic field of victimology. History The destruction of two world wars contributed much to the recognition of the concept of ‘victim’. The impact of World War II was particularly evident during the 1950s when the increasing attention to social rights was a vital component in the formation of the welfare state. Fortunately, the concept of citizens’ social rights also involves victims’ rights (Marsh et al., 2004, 99). Crime victims, war victims, and victims of racial discrimination all contributed to the eventual recognition of the notion of victim in policymaking and the academic community. The postwar negotiations was a period of compromise and reparation which promoted an environment that gave victims the opportunity to mobilize themselves and petition for recognition in the criminal justice system. The 1960s witnessed the emergence of a victims’ movement that was mostly lively in the United States. Unfortunately, this movement failed to create a cohesive front and was divided by an array of involved parties each advancing their own standpoints, intentions, and interests. War victims, black rights advocates, and feminists all claim being victims and each noticed the criminal justice system giving more importance to offenders (Marsh et al., 2004, 99-100). Claims for reparation became increasingly harder to disregard. The failure of the rehabilitative system in the 1970s and the emergence of a neoclassical doctrine endowed the victim movement a rightful, political influence. As recounted by Smith, “It was not until the conflict between the rehabilitative ideal and the resurgence of classicalisms in the 1970s that public indignation over the forgotten victim began to appear” (Marsh et al., 2004, 100). The 1970s witnessed the attempts of earlier activists eventually fulfilled. Concern for the ignored victim resulted in the creation of several voluntary associations and social policy reforms within the constitution of the United States and Great Britain (Marsh et al., 2004, 100). However, it was in the 1940s and 1950s that victimology began to develop as an independent and practical academic discipline. Basically, the history of victimology is the history of humanity. Ancient law treated crime as an individual act. The Code of Hammurabi, even though inhumane and brutal, viewed victims as wronged individuals and could have been the earliest legal code of victim’s rights (Burgess, Regehr, & Roberts, 2011). Other laws emerged throughout history to form the contemporary notion of justice. Several social forces have influenced the formation and growth of victimology. Feminists have raised the issue of women’s dilemma. Civil rights activists have contributed to the ratification of several provisions that endow individuals with particular rights. As criminal activities escalated, the society has become more and more traditional and more sensitive to the ordeal endured by crime victims (Lehner-Zimmerer, 2011). The victims’ rights movement started as an organization of crime victims. This small organization has expanded and become an influential entity in the United States that continues to transform how victimology is viewed. Case Study Examples The public is intrigued by criminal activities. Cases that have attracted much media and public attention throughout the history of victimology are the following. Carroll Edward Cole’s case, a serial murderer, demonstrates the murderous tendencies of a victim of bullying who eventually becomes an offender himself. Cole went through a chaotic childhood where in his mother maltreated him. When his father came back from abroad, the maltreatment stopped. Sadly, he was not able to escape childhood bullies. The bullying forced him to become too needy and unfriendly. His hatred reached its peak when he killed his classmate, Duane (Burgess, Regehr, & Roberts, 2011, 2). The main point of this case is that a thorough investigation was not carried out on Duane’s death nor was a methodical interrogation of Cole. A somewhat similar case involving young offenders happened on the 20th of December 1986. The Howard Beach incident took place when racial conflict blew up in the media. Jon Lester encouraged a gang of teenagers to attack three black men in a largely white Queens vicinity. The attackers violently beat the victims. Lester and his accomplices were charged of assault and murder (Burgess et al., 2011, 2). On the 15th of July 2008, Cindy Anthony reported to the Orange County Florida police her missing daughter Casey Anthony and her child Caylee Anthony. On the 16th of July 2008, Casey Anthony was taken into custody for child neglect, obstruction of justice, and giving false statements. Even though the police was certain that Casey had killed her 2-year-old daughter Caylee she could not be convicted with homicide without a body. On the 11th of December 2008, the dead body of Caylee Anthony was finally found. Prosecutors immediately convicted Casey Anthony with murder (Burgess et al., 2011, 2-3). These cases have been a valuable tool for victimology. The case study of a specific incident of victimization reveals budding and current challenges and opportunities in criminal justice, and sheds light on the duty of the criminal justice system to deter and respond to criminal activities. Over the years, according to Marsh and colleagues (2004), case studies in victimology facilitate critical thinking and interdisciplinary knowledge. Recommendation/ Future Possibilities All feasible efforts are being initiated to promote victims’ rights and encourage their involvement in the criminal justice system and to support the implementation of the restorative justice ideology. Victimology still has to make a transition from theory to practice. It is the dynamism between theory and practice that creates change and in the absence of change, there is failure. Research has to strengthen or support policymaking. Researchers and professionals should also work in partnership and the empirical knowledge produced by researchers must be accompanied with the dedication and enthusiasm of the direct service practitioner (Lehner-Zimmerer, 2011, 16). In spite of the conflict between ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ victimologists and the possibility of changing victimology into a militant rather than a systematic and empirical field victimology still holds the promise of helping victims in more effective ways. Even though the field of victimology is expanding rapidly and the philosophical discourses on the challenges and opportunities for victimologists are keeping the field lively, it is apparent that victimology still has a long way to go. As stated by a prominent victimologist, “It is our responsibility to review and evaluate past work in this field and to develop a future agenda that will spur, guide and support future research and policy interventions” (Lehner-Zimmerer, 2011, 15). Victimologists should take into consideration their possible contribution to the improvement and assessment of victim policy. A great deal has been learned in developed nations over the years about the reason for the successes and failures of victim policy, but further systematic research is required. What is also required is research that may contribute to the identification of effective processes that may be emulated in other places, after adequate social and cultural adjustment to the particular social, political, legal, and economic conditions. Conclusions In terms of the scale of progress of victimology since its inception, it is evident that the field has become really comprehensive. Nevertheless, this can be misleading. Victimology has been successful, but much more effort is required. In the short span of roughly five decades, the field has progressed from a subject matter explored by a small number of independent researchers to a subject that attracts global attention. The message to be read from the history of victimology is the need to reevaluate the fundamental circumstances or preconditions for successful enforcement of victims’ rights. Obvious as it may appear, as groundwork victimologists require precise and inclusive information. Although this requirement is clear, it is unfortunate that accurate and dependable information is usually almost absent. It is at this point that the field of victimology has a vital function to fulfill in the foreseeable future. Victimology may and must strongly promote victims’ rights. References Burgess, A., Regehr, C., & Roberts, A. (2011). Victimology: Theories and Applications. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Lehner-Zimmerer, M. (2011). Future Challenges of International Victimology. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies, 4(2), 13+ Marsh, I., Cochrane, J., & Melville, G. (2004). Criminal Justice: An Introduction to Philosophies, Theories and Practice. New York: Routledge. Read More