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A European Association of Psychology and Law - Student Society Publication February 2012

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so, more efforts must be made to extensively and
accurately study the victim. In response to these
and related concerns, a separate branch of
criminology was conceived to address the
victims of crime. Victimology is the systematic
study of the victim as a social factor of crime
(Doerner & Lab, 2011). The study of victims of
crime constitutes the study of the victims
personality, behavior, immediate surrounding
and more importantly, the relationship between
the victim and criminal, as well as the role of the
victim in the crime. For instance, a victim study
may investigate the effects of a crime on the
victims personality, or the obligations of the
State to protect and compensate the victim. By
rephrasing the principal question to ask, what
factors contributed to the crime being
committed?, victimology shifts the emphasis
from a primary focus on the offender to a
consideration of all the circumstances and
participants involved in a crime committed. In
doing so, one absolves a victim of any self-
inflicted notions of responsibility in an
offenders decision to commit a crime. Instead,
the victim is acknowledge as playing a
significant role in an offenders criminal
thinking and execution of the crime itself. For
example, prior to committing the crime, a serial
rapist may decide to act only once he identifies a
victim who possess the characteristics that
satisfies his desires and mitigates the risk of
committing the crime.
After a crime is committed, the victim faces a
number of key stages in the criminal justice
process (Wemmers, 2009):
1. The initial investigation and, if possible, the
apprehension of the offender.
FACT SHEET: Victims of Crime
Who is a Victim?
1
Each year millions of individuals throughout the
world experience ranging degrees of physical,
psychological, and financial affliction due to the
criminal conduct of others, private organizations,
and governments. Since the inception of
criminology, the victim of crime has been integral
in the service of justice; yet, no single element in
criminology has been more neglected than the
victim. The 7th United Nations Congress, held in
Milan (1985; UN, 1999), ratified the Declaration of
Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime
and Abuse of Power, declaring "victims (are)
persons who, individually or collectively, have
suffered harm, including physical or mental
injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or
substantial impairment of their fundamental
rights, through acts or omissions that are in
violation of criminal laws, including those laws
proscribing criminal abuse of power. Further,
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. The term
"victim" also includes, where appropriate, the
immediate family or dependants of the direct
victim and persons who have suffered harm in
intervening to assist victims in distress or to
prevent victimization. (Bachrach, 2000).
In the delivery of absolute justice, primary
concerns are that of restoring justice to the
victims and communities in the aftermath of a
crime, and striking a fair balance between the
rights of victims and the accused. In order to do
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Vasiliki Sergianni, Captain of Hellenic Police and BA student
The Study of Victims
Judicial Processing of Victims

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A European Association of Psychology and Law - Student Society Publication February 2012

FACT SHEET: Victims of Crime

Qui ck summary:
The term victim has a far-reaching definition
Victimology is the study of the role victims play in crime
As they pass through the criminal justice system, victims
can be re-victimized
The rate of criminal victimization is dropping
Those who fear being victimized most are actually at the
lowest risk
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2. The prosecution process in which a charge is
determined and a plea statement is made. The
preliminary hearing and provisions for bail are
also treated at this stage.
3. The court process where a verdict is rendered and
a sentence is decided.
4. Release from custody where an offender is
imprisoned as a penalty.

During court proceedings, the victim is likely to
take the stand and at this stage, be rendered a
victim for the second time. In order to protect
victims against this, some countries (such as
Greece) will not prosecute certain crimes (e.g.,
minor physical assault on another human being)
unless the victim consents to the prosecution
process. In addition, the media are barred from
entering the courtroom. In serious cases the
judge may also order the police to protect the
victim from any acts of revenge or infliction of
fear.
Fear of crime and its relationship to actual
victimization is an important issue in
victimology (Sutton et al., 2011). Factors such as
the victims vulnerability, previous
victimization, the role of the media, and lifestyle
and behavior altered by fear (which in turn may
4
forestall future victimization) are integral in
understanding the dynamics in the relationship
between crime and victim behavior. Research
shows that women are more fearful of crime
than men, and that fear of crime increases
dramatically with age (Shafer et al., 2004);
however, these findings are inconsistent with the
actual demographic rates of victimization.
Adolescents and young adults are more likely
than adults and the elderly to become victims of
violent crimes, but the rate of crime against all
age groups has fallen. For instance, in the 1990s,
victimization rates throughout Europe were at
their highest point, but have since dropped
dramatically (Jaquier & Fisher, 2009).
Overall, it is important to understand the role of
victims as a separate yet parallel construct to the
perpetration of crime. We also need to recognize
the importance of studying victims and the
numerous hardships they can experience as they
proceed through the criminal justice system.
A deeper understanding of these kinds of issues
could lead to a more psychologically and
ethically sound criminal justice system, which
would advocate for a more appropriate
treatment of victims.

Conclusion
Who is Vulnerable?


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Where can I get more information?
References
FACT SHEET: Victims of Crime

1
1. Bachrach, M. (2000). The protection and rights
of victims under international criminal law.
Journal of International Law, 34, 7-20.

2. Doerner, W. G., & Lab, S. P. (2011).
Victimology: Sixth edition. Cincinnati, OH US:
Anderson Publishing Co.

3. Jaquier, V., & Fisher, B. S. (2011). Comparative
victim and offender research: Cross-national
and cross-cultural findings from around the
world. Victims & Offenders, 6(4), 321-324.

4. Shafer, J.A., Huebner, B.M., & Bynum, T.S.
(2004). Fear of crime and criminal
victimization: Gender-based contrasts. Journal
of Criminal Justice, 34(3), 259-301.

5. Sutton, R.M., Robinson, B., & Farrall, S.D.
(2011). Gender, Fear of crime, and self-
presentation: an experimental investigation.
Psychology, Crime & Law, 17(5), 412-433.
doi:10.1080/10683160903292261

6. United nations Office for Drug Control and
Crime Prevention (1999). Handbook on Justice
for Victims. Retrieved from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/a
bstract.aspx?ID=179083



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7. Wemmers, J. (2009). Victims and the
International Criminal Court (ICC):
Evaluating the success of the ICC with
respect to victims. International Review Of
Victimology, 16(2), 211-227.


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