Domestic Violence: The Victim Precipitation Theory

Victim Precipitation Theory defined is “The view that victims may initiate, either actively or passively, the confrontation that leads to their victimization (Siegel, 2014, p.67) Victims of domestic violence can unknowingly participate in the very crime that they are a victim of. Victim Precipitation Theory shows us how victims passively or actively participate in a crime committed against them. A victim can passively participate by unknowingly showing certain behaviors that might encourage the offender to commit the crime. A victim is actively participating in their crime by yelling, fighting, or threatening to call law enforcement on the offender. Actively participating in the crime can easily encourage the offender to act out against the victim ultimately ending with a violent crime.

Victim Precipitation Theory
These four theories also have more than one explanation as to their meaning to them which allows for more telling research. For example, the lifestyle theory includes more than one lifestyle. The individual can be in the gang lifestyle, college lifestyle, or a drug using lifestyle. Victim precipitation theory explains how a victim can participate in the crime that occurs against them. The victim participates either actively of passively. The two encourage the offender to commit the crime against the victim but when the victim participates passively the victim unknowingly encourages the offender. An active participant might be yelling or fighting with the offender which will then encourage violence against the victim. Domestic violence and passive participation is a recipe for disaster when the victim doesn’t know why they are being