Theme 1 : An Overview of Concepts in Victimology

(Chapter One)

Mrs. Perushka Nair & Miss. Romaana Muhammad

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Important details for this module
Lecturers: Mrs. Perushka Nair and Miss. Romaana Muhammad
(Howard)
Email Address: [email protected]/ [email protected]
Consultation Hours: Monday 10h00 – 11h00/ Tuesday 14h00 – 15h00/
Wednesday 10h30 – 11h30/ Wednesday 12h30 – 13h30

Module Administrator: Ms Nelisiwe Mtselu (Howard College)

Email Address: [email protected]

Module Coordinator: Dr. Nomakhosi Sibisi

Email Address: [email protected]

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Recommended Textbook
• Peacock, R. (2019). Victimology in
Africa. (3rd Ed). Pretoria: Van
Schaik Publishers. ISBN: 978-
0627-030208.

• Kindly note we have five (5)

copies of the Victimology textbook
accessible online. Please use the
following link to access the book:
https://ukzn.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1
195925216

• We also have 2 hard copies

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 Learning Objectives

 Understanding the difference between Criminology and Victimology

 Key concepts of Victimology

 The historical development and evolving overview of victimology

 Key milestones and contributors of victimology

 The different notions of victimhood and discuss how social and cultural factors
influence the construction of a “victim”

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 The difference between Criminology and
Victimology ?
CRIMINOLOGY VICTIMOLOGY
• It is the study of crime. • It is the study of victims.
• It is the scientific study of • It is a scientific study of
criminality. victimisation.
• It studies the causes of crime and • It studies the causes of
its consequences. victimization and its
• It deals with offenders consequences.
circumstances and its interaction • It deals with the relationship
in the justice system. between offenders and victims.
• Devise crime prevention • Develop victimisation prevention
strategies. strategies and risk-reduction
tactics.
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 The difference between Criminology and Victimology ? Continued

• Victimology is the branch of criminology that studies criminal behaviour and/or crime itself.
 Criminology is defined as:
• The scientific study of crimes, criminals, criminal laws and the justice system, societal reactions,
and crime victims.
• It is the scientific study of the nature, extent, cause, consequences and control of criminal
behavior.
• It explains the origin, extent, and nature of crime in society.

 Victimology is defined as:

• The scientific study of victims of crime, their experiences, and the social, psychological, and legal
responses to their victimisation.
• It examines the causes, effects, and consequences of victimisation, as well as the relationships between
victims, offenders, and the criminal justice system.
‘Victima’ – meaning, a person (or animal) killed or sacrificed to a god or gods; a person injured or
destroyed by another person, and also a scapegoat.‘ology’ - meaning study of.

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The difference between Criminology and
Victimology ? Continued

• The term victimology first appeared in 1949 and was used to describe
the study of individuals harmed by criminals.

• In modern age, the term victimology generally refers to the scientific

study of victims and victimization, including the relationships between
victim and offender, investigators, courts, corrections, media, and
social movements.

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 What is a ‘victim’ in a crime?
• The word victim refers to any person who has experienced injury, loss, or hardship due
to the illegal action of another individual, group, or organization.
• A victim is a person who has experienced physical, psychological or emotional injury, or
financial loss because of a crime.
• A person may be considered a victim regardless of whether the perpetrator is identified,
apprehended, prosecuted or convicted, and regardless of the familial relationship
between the perpetrator and the victim.
• There are two types of victims
1. Direct victims —a person who experienced the criminal act and its
consequences first hand.
2. Indirect victims —immediate family and those who suffer emotionally or
financially but are not immediately involved or physically injured.

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Key concepts in victimology
[1] Victim
– has it roots in the early religious notions of suffering, sacrifice and death. This
concept of “victim” was well known in the ancient civilizations, especially in
Babylonia, Palestine, Greece, and
Rome. In each of these civilizations the law mandated that the victim should be
recognized as a person who deserved to be made whole again by the offender.

[2] Crime victim

– is a person who has been physically, financially or emotionally injured and/or had
their property taken or damaged by someone committing a crime.

[3] Victim Precipitation

– a victimization where the victim causes, in part or totally, their own victimization.

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 Key concepts in victimology Continued
[4] Vulnerability
– is a physical (disable, elderly), psychological (mentally disable), social, material or
financial (unemployed) condition whereby a person or an object has a weakness
which could render them a victim if another person or persons would recognize
these weaknesses and take advantage of them.

[5] General Victim

– is a person who has been physically, financially or emotionally injured and/or had
their property taken or damaged by someone, an event, an organization or a
natural phenomenon.

[6] Victimisation
– refers to an event where persons, communities and institutions are damaged or
injured in a significant way. Those persons who are impacted by persons or events
suffer a violation of rights or significant disruption of their well being.

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 Key concepts in victimology Continued
[7] Secondary victimisation
Secondary victimisation occurs when the victim suffers further harm not as a direct result
of the criminal act but due to the manner in which institutions and other individuals deal
with the victim.
[8] Abuse of Power
– is the violation of a national or international standard in the use of organized powerful
forces such that persons are injured physically, mentally, emotionally, economically, or in
their rights, as a direct and intentional result of the misapplication of these forces.

[9] Victimology
– is an academic scientific discipline which studies data that describes phenomena and
causal relationships related to victimizations. This includes events leading to the
victimization, the victim’s experience, its aftermath and the actions taken by society in
response to these victimizations. Therefore, victimology includes the study of the
precursors, vulnerabilities, events, impacts, recoveries, and responses by people,
organizations and cultures related to victimizations.
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 Key concepts in victimology Continued
[10] Victim Assistance, Support or Services
– are those activities which are applied in response to victimizations with the intention of
relieving suffering and facilitating recovery. This includes offering information,
assessments, individual interventions, case advocacy, system advocacy, public policy
and programme development.

[11] Compensation
– is a formal administrative procedure provided by law which provides only money to
victims for “out of pocket” real expenses directly resulting from the victimization to be
paid by the state after the victim is found to qualify according to specific criteria
determined by the respective state or federal law.

[12] Restitution
– is a formal judicial procedure used by a judge after guilt is determined as part of a
sentence which can provide money and/or services to the victim for damages or
suffering which resulted from the victimization to be paid or performed by the offender.
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 Historical development and overview of victimology

• Not possible to state exact moment of origin of victimology.

• Journey starts in ancient times.

 European context- roles, rules & marriage.

 Western context – law codes & death penalty.
 African context- traced back to Ubuntu, African traditional law,
restorative justice.

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 Key milestones and contributors

1940–1950: Victimology emerged as a formal area of study within

criminology. Focusing on victim-offender relationships and the role victims
played in their victimization.

1948: Hans von Hentig one of the earliest scholarly works analysing victim
characteristics. Pioneer in studying victim-offender dynamics. Focused on
how victim traits might contribute to victimization.

1956: Benjamin Mendelsohn coined the term "victimology" and developed

a typology of victims based on their level of responsibility. Highlighting victim
responsibility in crime prevention. Linked victim roles to social functions.

1968: Stephen Schafer introduced the idea of "functional responsibility" of

victims and expanded on victim typologies.

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 Key milestones and contributors continued

 1973: The First International Symposium on Victimology was held in Jerusalem,

Israel. Marking the formal international recognition of victimology as a field.

 1985: The United Nations adopted the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for
Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. A landmark moment for the recognition of
victims' rights globally.

 1990–2000: Expansion of victim support services and rights-based approaches and

the growth of restorative justice and trauma-informed practices.

 Recent years:
Greater focus on human rights, state victims, cybercrime victims, and critical victimology.
Increased recognition of victims in transitional justice processes, especially in African
contexts.

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 Notions of Victimhood

Legal definitions of victims are limited, and not all harmed individuals are legally
recognised as victims.
Victim surveys show that victims of crime are homogenous. But may share characteristics
based on social and cultural characteristics.
Social – the notion of a victim can be socially constructed this is because it is not just about the
level of harm suffered, but also about how society recognises and labels someone as a victim.

Cultural examples include:

Gender roles women are often more easily recognised as “ideal victims” (e.g., passive,
weak), while men may be seen as less credible or blamed.
Cultural norms - traditional values (e.g., patriarchal beliefs) may prevent individuals
(especially women and children) from being acknowledged as victims.
Race and class - marginalised communities often face victim-blaming and are less likely
to receive justice or recognition.

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