UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY

Formerly (Cagayan Colleges Tuguegarao)

Tuguegarao City Cagayan, Philippines

SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY
GRADUATE SCHOOL
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY

Course Title : Foundation of Criminology

Topic Title : VICTIMS and VICTIMIZATION
Presenter : Kricielle M. Valencia
Facilitator : JOMEL B. PINERA, Ph.D.
Date : November 19, 2022

I. TOPIC OBJECTIVES:
• DISCUSS VICTIMS and VICTIMIZATION
• DIFFERENCIATE BETWEEN VICTIMS AND VICTIMIZATION
• EXPLAIN THE FOUR 4 THEORIES OF VICTIMOLOGY

II. INTRODUCTION

◊ Like crime, victimization has recurring patterns and trends. Violent crimes often involve
young, unmarried men who live in large cities, but victims can be of any age, size, ethnicity, or
gender. Family members and close acquaintances start to notice the many victims of domestic
violence. Occasionally, kids who have experienced abuse from their parents will rebel. That is
people make rational choices based on their goals, and those choices govern their behaviour.

◊ It was not until 1660 that the word victim was first used in the sense of a person who is
hurt, tortured, or killed by another. A victim of crime did not exist until well into the 17th
century. Why were victims ignored for so long?

◊ Over the years different typologies of victims have been created to demonstrate the unique
role or position of victims of crime. Typically, when people hear someone has been a victim of a
crime we often think of them as completely innocent. A lot of new legislation and policy changes
created to provide the victim with a greater role in the CJ offers the stereotypical view of the
victim as completely innocent

1|Page
 III. DEFINITION OF TERMS

▪ VICTIM
▪ VICTIMIZATION
▪ VICTIMOLOGY

▪ VICTIM
“Victims” means 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 operative within Member States, including those laws proscribing criminal
abuse of power.

▪ VICTIMIZATION
There is a large body of evidence that demonstrates a close relationship between
offending and victimization. One reason for this is that some kinds of crime arise out of
mutual interactions between people, to the extent that victims and offenders are almost
interchangeable: the clearest example would be fights in and around pubs on a Saturday
night. Even where crimes do not arise immediately out of interpersonal interactions,
people often tend to commit offences on others within their social circle, because these
people are most accessible to them, or because they are paying off an old score. This way
we can say that victimization is the relation between victim and the accuse, there is no
exact definition available on it. There are different theory of victimization which are as
follow:

▪ VICTIMOLOGY
Victimology is the scientific study of victimization, which include the relationship
between victim and the accuse.
▪ Victimology is the study of crime victims. It’s a subset of criminology, the
study of crime. People who study victimology, or victimization, examine the
psychological effects of crimes on the victims, the interactions between victims and
the criminal justice system and the relationships between victims and offenders.
Modern theories of victimology try to explain why some are more likely than other
to become victims of a crime

IV. THEORIES OF VICTIMOLOGY EXPLAINED

1. Victim Precipitation Theory

The victim precipitation theory states that some victims initiate the confrontation that
leads to their victimization, whether actively or passively. Various research studies have
found that people who have an impulsive personality, rendering them as abrasive or
obnoxious to others, may have a higher victimization rate. The reason is that impulsive

2|Page
 people are antagonistic, making them more likely to be targeted. Also, they tend to be risky
and will get involved in dangerous situations without being cautious.

Passive precipitation means that the victim unconsciously behaves in a way or has
specific characteristics that instigate or encourage an attack. Passive precipitation is typically
the result of a power struggle; job promotions, successes, love interests, etc., can all give rise
to a power struggle and cause passive precipitation. People who are likely to encourage a
crime passively include minorities, political activists, members of LGBTQ+, and other
individuals who lead an alternative lifestyle. These groups are often targeted because of the
unintentional threat they pose to authority.

Active precipitation, on the other hand, occurs when the victim engages in threatening or
provocative actions. Active precipitation is controversial because many argue whether or not
it is ever okay to “blame” the victim for the occurrence of a crime. This is true, especially in
rape cases where flirtation may have been present. However, there was no consent to sexual
intercourse. For this reason, we must be cautious when discussing active participation since it
does not apply to every case.

2. Lifestyle Theory
The lifestyle theory maintains that criminals target individuals due to their lifestyle
choices. Many victims’ options expose them to criminal offenders and situations where crime
is likely to occur.
Examples of lifestyle choices that may raise one’s risk of victimization include:
• Walking alone at night.
• Living in the “bad” part of town.
• Being promiscuous.
• Drinking in excess.
• Doing drugs.
• Associating with felons.

This theory also cites research that shows a correlation between the lifestyles of victims and
offenders. Both tend to be impulsive and lack self-control, making the victim more likely to
put themselves in high-risk situations and the offender more likely to engage in an unlawful
act.

3. Deviant Place Theory

The deviant place theory is the theory that the more often a victim visits a dangerous
place, the more likely they will be exposed to crime, which raises their chance of being
victimized. The theory states that the victim does not play a role in encouraging the crime but
is still prone to being a victim because they live in a socially disorganized high-crime
location. Even though they may not engage in risky behaviors or lead a dangerous lifestyle,
residents of areas with high crime rates have the most significant risk of coming into contact
with offenders.

▪ Minorities tend to be victimized at higher rates because of social and economic

inequality. Minorities are more likely to reside in low-income neighborhoods with high
crime rates and cannot move from areas with significant criminal activity compared to
their Caucasian neighbors.

3|Page
 ▪ This theory of victimology also proposes that safety measures taken in dangerous areas
may be of little to no use since it’s the area’s demographic that increases victimization
rather than the victim’s lifestyle choices. If an individual lives in a deviant area, the only
way to lower their chance of being a victim of a crime is to leave the deviant and
dangerous neighborhood for one that is less deviant and has a lower crime rate.

4. Routine Activities Theory

The routine activities theory states there must be three factors present for a crime to
occur. These factors reflect the regular activities incorporated in a typical American’s lifestyle,
and they increase an individual’s risk of victimization when they converge.
▪ Routine activities that raise one’s risk of victimization:
1. The availability of suitable targets, including homes that contain high-value items that are
relatively easy to obtain.
2. The absence of capable guardians. Lack of guardianship such as the police, a homeowner,
neighbors, friends, and relatives can increase the probability of a crime. A target that is
undefended and attractive is the Holy Grail for a motivated criminal. However, if a target
is well-defended by capable guardianship, even the most seasoned criminal may hesitate
to attack.
3. The presence of motivated offenders who have criminal intent and the ability to act on
their plan. For example, a substantial amount of jobless teenagers. If there is a lack of
motivated criminals in an area, the crime rate is likely to be lower than the rate in an area
with significantly more motivated offenders.

V. CONCLUSION

Definitions of victims, victimization, and victimology have been provided. Based on a

person's psychology and amount of mental stability or control, all three phrases are used. The
basic problem is that, despite our collective discussion of this statement, nobody actually takes
action to improve society. Many government programs address it, or to put it another way, work
on it. But it's still unclear what will happen after that. We should make an effort to uphold all
society laws in this case, as doing so can only result in positive results.

Definitions of victims, victimization, and victimology have been provided. Based on a person's
psychology and amount of mental stability or control, all three phrases are used. The basic
problem is that, despite our collective discussion of this statement, nobody actually takes action
to improve society. Many government programs address it, or to put it another way, work on it.
But it's still unclear what will happen after that. We should make an effort to uphold all society
laws in this case, as doing so can only result in positive results.

VI. REFERENCES

▪ https://study.com/learn/lesson/victimization-concept-cost-examples.html
▪ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/ccj230/chapter/1-14-victims-in-the-cj-system/
▪ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/ccj230/chapter/1-14-victims-in-the-cj-system/

4|Page