Deck 18: Victims, Victimisation and Victimology

Question 1

Under the 1985 United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power a person may not be considered a victim, unless the perpetrator is identified.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In the past why were some people considered to be 'culpable victims'?

A)Because they were physically weak
B)Because they appeared affluent
C)They often start fights
D)They take risks

Answer 2

Because they were physically weak
Because they appeared affluent
They take risks

Question 3

Which three almost-always elements does Marcus Felson argue criminal acts usually have?

A)a likely offender
B)a suitable target
C)insufficiently harsh prison sentences
D)the absence of a capable guardian against the offence

Answer 3

a likely offender
a suitable target
the absence of a capable guardian against the offence

Question 4

According to Mawby and Walklate (1994) what are the key concepts around which critical criminology should be organised?

A)rights
B)citizenship
C)women
D)the state

Question 5

What can labelling theory contribute to our understanding of 'victims'?

A)To understand under what circumstances some people are treated as victims
B)To understand the psychology of crime
C)To help solve crimes
D)To consider whether there are there particular consequences from having such a label attached (or denied)

Question 6

In Christie's model what is the difference between 'ideal-type' victims and the offender?

Question 7

Why are crime surveys considered to be 'blunt instruments' when it comes to revealing the impact of repeat victimization?

Question 8

Why has the 'fear of crime' debate become important over the past decade or two?

Question 9

What factors led to the rise of 'victim's movements' over the past 30 years?

Question 10

What led to the emergence of the term 'victimology'?

A)A term to blame the victim was needed
B)To highlight the interests of victims
C)To organise the study of victims into a coherent academic concern
D)To help publicise the plight of vulnerable victims such as children

Question 11

What is the idea at the heart of radical victimology?

A)Rising crime rates
B)Police arresting people from various vulnerable groups
C)A concern with structural inequalities and how these come to shape and mould the distribution of victimization

Question 12

People who have been arrested in the past are themselves more likely to become the victims of homicide.

Question 13

Victims and offenders are different 'types' of people.

Question 14

Women are more likely to be the victims of violent crime.

Question 15

Repeat victimisation shows that people who have been burgled once are statistically less likely to become victims of the same crime again.

Question 16

Which group are now seen as the 'forgotten' party in criminal justice?

A)the offender
B)the victim
C)the suspect

Question 17

According to Nils Christie (1986), the ideal victim is:

A)female
B)innocent
C)poor

Question 18

Why is 'victim-blaming' criticised by some criminologists?

A)because it is target-driven
B)because it ignores individual choice and events
C)because it denies the victim status
D)because it pays too much attention to the victim's structural circumstances

Question 19

What does positivist victimology focus upon?

A)the arrest of offenders
B)Patterns of victimization and how these may be related to crime prevention or crime reduction
C)improving the life chances of victims

Question 20

What impact have Victims' Charters had on their rights?