Status Of Victim
Consider the role and status of victims in the criminal justice system
There can be more than one way to define a victim, in one instance it’s believed that a victim is someone that has been harmed physically, emotionally and/or economically harmed by incriminating actions perpetrated by another being. (Karmen 2010)
It can be argued that the family of the offender is in fact a victim too. In the sense that family and friends may experience the lost of a family member or a friend, if they were to become incarcerated as a result of their actions. They may also have to deal with news reports if the offence makes the media and the ‘shame’ that comes with having a family member or friend in prison and televised. The victim’s family/friends …show more content…
also have to deal with a lost, in crimes such as murder, or a crime that incorporates drastic change that can revolutionise the life of these individuals. Organisations/companies can also be tricked and schemed, potentially turning them into victims. Crimes such as fraud and illegal downloading are in fact crimes too. It can be said that all these people employed within the business and the business itself is in n fact victims too. This essay will consider both the role and status of victims within the criminal justice system describing the concept of the part a victim plays within a criminal proceeding and also touching upon the likeliness of one to become a victim and reasons for this.
When considering the status of a victim some are more fitting of the ‘victim status’ than others.
So who are these likely victims? Is there a particular group of people or an individual that is deemed more likely to become a victim than any other person? It’s arguable to say that, the place where someone lives, their race, age, sexuality and/or gender are in fact factors that may increase ones chances of becoming a victim of crime. (Briggs 2009) This hypothesis supports the perspective that one’s chance of becoming a victim is in fact unevenly spread across society (Davies 2010)
For example Davies (2009), expresses how the difference in age is relevant to victimisation ‘’innocent children and the elderly being perceived as particularly vulnerable (Davies 2009 pp75) The youngster hold habit of hanging on the streets, increasing the chances of them becoming a victim of street crime such as robbery, assault and theft. While the elderly are subjected to stay indoors due such factors as ill health, incapability to get around and bad weather conditions. These factors all help to increase the likeliness of them becoming a victim of a household crime. (Davies …show more content…
2010).
Carrabine et’al (2009), expresses the typical offender to be ‘male’, (Carrabine et’al 2009. pp. 186) and found that those that tend to live in the ‘’run-down inner city’’ and areas of council accommodation’’ were in fact more likely to commit crime. Seeing these individuals as ‘’vulnerable to crime problem occurring.’’ (Carrabine et’al 2009 pp.186)
Nils Christie (1986) a Norwegian criminologist cited in Newman (2007) proposed that the ‘ideal victim’ is in fact a weak individual in relation to the offender, resulting in the victim most likely to be a female, sick or elderly. His ideology also illustrated that the victim became a victim through acting morally or going about their everyday routine, in that aspect Christies ' theory demonstrates a general care for the victim calling them ‘blameless’ for what has happened. (Newman 2007 pp.342-343)
Ones race and being an ethnic minorities is seen as a factor that influences the likeliness of becoming a victim as afro-Caribbean’s and Asians are more at risk of experience a house-hold offence or a personal offence than whites. Some of the offences that take place against these groups of ethnic minorities may be racially motivated or explained by socio-economic. (Phillips and Bowling 2002) In the sense that one’s socio- economic status is based on their family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community they live in.
The concept of the word ‘role’ is to consider a person’s part played in a particular situation. So in the aspect of a victim within the criminal justice system the role of a victim lays heavily on reporting the crime and/or providing evidence. These areas hold such significance in helping to solve a case as a victim reporting a crime brings it to the police attention and the evidence shared is more likely to advocate a conviction, as the victim is seen as a witness. This help to decrease the police following up relentless and sceptical leads, and cause the possibly prevention of a conviction. (Carribine et’al 2009)
In the aspect of the role of victims in the criminal justice system, it’s evident that there is room for improvement. Javed Khan, Chief Executive of victim support agrees that more needs to be done. ‘’criminal justice agencies need to do more to meet the needs of victims and witnesses.’’ ‘’ all too often when they come into contact with the system they are dissatisfied and lose confidence.’’ (victimssupport.com, 2011)
When reporting a crime the role of the victim is to tell the story of the incident that has taken place, it’s the police decision whether to take actions further and go through the correct processes, of gaining justice for this victim. With the victim, the majority of the time there is an inevitable case to be brought forward, however theirs times when the evidence that has been given is taken out of the victims hands and preceded by the officer in charge. This can happen a lot in Domestic violence incidents when the compliant after giving a statement wants to withdraw their statement however it’s too late and the case is set in motion.
Using the example of domestic violence another role of the victim would be to attend court, and give evidence to the members of the court such as the Judge jury (in a trial) prosecutors and defence. This is the time the victim can ask how the offence has affected them, and the ideal punishment they believe is deserved.
In regards to the roles and status of victims in the criminal justice system, it all subsides to rebalancing the criminal justice system. So that victims are in fact victims are more deemed as ‘victims’ rather than evidence. This causes controversial, arguments of victim statements and victim statement of opinion being produced in courts, implying the victim in fact has the right to put across the damage the crime has imposed upon them and their family and suggesting the sentence that I to be handed out. However if the offence was so horrifying why do they live to ret-tell the story.
So when handling a victim there are clear principles that need to be followed, to allow the victim to feel safe, protected and sympathised with. According to The Victims of Crime Act 1994, victims are to be dealt with sympathetically, constructively and in a reassuring manner, and with ‘’due regards to that persons individual situation, rights and dignity’’ (victim information 2007 pp.1). In some serious cases public protections is given to victims after the incident and or while the criminal case is open. Implementations of counselling, advice and guidance are given when dealing with victims to help the person come to terms with the previous incident, and there rights within the criminal justice system as a victim. Such services are better known as the VSS -the victim’s service scheme and the JAU - the justice advocacy unit. (Victim information 2007 pp.4)
In conclusion are victims used to purely gain justice, or to help punish, those non law abiding citizens?
More implementations should be put into place to ensure the victims of crime are in fact treated and portrayed as victims, and not deemed to be vital evidence in a criminal case then neglected once the case is closed. ‘’forgotten players’’ (Davies 2010, pp 69) or used to facilitate justice or a criminal conviction, as the criminal justice system was created to protect the public from those that defy the law. (Davies 2010) the situation has somewhat changed but victims are still feeling let don’t by the system and the treatment and lack of support they are given within and after the process of their
situation.
Bibliography
Books
Davies, M. Croall, H. and Tyrer J. (2010) Criminal justice 4th Ed. Pearson, Essex
Briggs, S. and Friedman, J. (2009) Criminology for Dummies, Wiley publishing, Indianapolis
Carrabine E, Cox P, Lee M. Plummer K. South N. (2009) Criminology a sociological introduction, 2nd Ed. Routledge, Oxon
Christie, N. (2004) A suitable Amount of Crime, Routledge, London Cited in; Newman T. (2007) Criminology, Willian publishing: Devon
Karmen, A. (2010) Crime Victims: an Introduction to Victimology 7th Ed. Cengage learning, Belmount
Maguire, M. Morgan R. and Robert R. (eds.) The oxford guide to Criminology 3rd Ed. Oxford university press, new York
Phillips, C. and Bowling, B. (2002) Racism, Ethnicity Crime and Criminal Justice, in Maguire, M. Morgan R. and Robert R. (eds.) The oxford guide to Criminology 3rd Ed. Oxford university press, new York. Cited In, Davies, M. Croall, H. and Tyrer J. (2010) Criminal justice 4th Ed. Pearson, Essex
Web address
Justice agencies failing victims says criminal justice audit (2011) Available from [Accessed 9 December 2011]
Criminal justice ‘fails victims’ (2003) Available from [Accessed 9 December 2011]
Victim support information guide 3, (2007) Available from
[Accessed 9 December 2011]
There can be more than one way to define a victim, in one instance it’s believed that a victim is someone that has been harmed physically, emotionally and/or economically harmed by incriminating actions perpetrated by another being. (Karmen 2010)
It can be argued that the family of the offender is in fact a victim too. In the sense that family and friends may experience the lost of a family member or a friend, if they were to become incarcerated as a result of their actions. They may also have to deal with news reports if the offence makes the media and the ‘shame’ that comes with having a family member or friend in prison and televised. The victim’s family/friends …show more content…
also have to deal with a lost, in crimes such as murder, or a crime that incorporates drastic change that can revolutionise the life of these individuals. Organisations/companies can also be tricked and schemed, potentially turning them into victims. Crimes such as fraud and illegal downloading are in fact crimes too. It can be said that all these people employed within the business and the business itself is in n fact victims too. This essay will consider both the role and status of victims within the criminal justice system describing the concept of the part a victim plays within a criminal proceeding and also touching upon the likeliness of one to become a victim and reasons for this.
When considering the status of a victim some are more fitting of the ‘victim status’ than others.
So who are these likely victims? Is there a particular group of people or an individual that is deemed more likely to become a victim than any other person? It’s arguable to say that, the place where someone lives, their race, age, sexuality and/or gender are in fact factors that may increase ones chances of becoming a victim of crime. (Briggs 2009) This hypothesis supports the perspective that one’s chance of becoming a victim is in fact unevenly spread across society (Davies 2010)
For example Davies (2009), expresses how the difference in age is relevant to victimisation ‘’innocent children and the elderly being perceived as particularly vulnerable (Davies 2009 pp75) The youngster hold habit of hanging on the streets, increasing the chances of them becoming a victim of street crime such as robbery, assault and theft. While the elderly are subjected to stay indoors due such factors as ill health, incapability to get around and bad weather conditions. These factors all help to increase the likeliness of them becoming a victim of a household crime. (Davies …show more content…
2010).
Carrabine et’al (2009), expresses the typical offender to be ‘male’, (Carrabine et’al 2009. pp. 186) and found that those that tend to live in the ‘’run-down inner city’’ and areas of council accommodation’’ were in fact more likely to commit crime. Seeing these individuals as ‘’vulnerable to crime problem occurring.’’ (Carrabine et’al 2009 pp.186)
Nils Christie (1986) a Norwegian criminologist cited in Newman (2007) proposed that the ‘ideal victim’ is in fact a weak individual in relation to the offender, resulting in the victim most likely to be a female, sick or elderly. His ideology also illustrated that the victim became a victim through acting morally or going about their everyday routine, in that aspect Christies ' theory demonstrates a general care for the victim calling them ‘blameless’ for what has happened. (Newman 2007 pp.342-343)
Ones race and being an ethnic minorities is seen as a factor that influences the likeliness of becoming a victim as afro-Caribbean’s and Asians are more at risk of experience a house-hold offence or a personal offence than whites. Some of the offences that take place against these groups of ethnic minorities may be racially motivated or explained by socio-economic. (Phillips and Bowling 2002) In the sense that one’s socio- economic status is based on their family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community they live in.
The concept of the word ‘role’ is to consider a person’s part played in a particular situation. So in the aspect of a victim within the criminal justice system the role of a victim lays heavily on reporting the crime and/or providing evidence. These areas hold such significance in helping to solve a case as a victim reporting a crime brings it to the police attention and the evidence shared is more likely to advocate a conviction, as the victim is seen as a witness. This help to decrease the police following up relentless and sceptical leads, and cause the possibly prevention of a conviction. (Carribine et’al 2009)
In the aspect of the role of victims in the criminal justice system, it’s evident that there is room for improvement. Javed Khan, Chief Executive of victim support agrees that more needs to be done. ‘’criminal justice agencies need to do more to meet the needs of victims and witnesses.’’ ‘’ all too often when they come into contact with the system they are dissatisfied and lose confidence.’’ (victimssupport.com, 2011)
When reporting a crime the role of the victim is to tell the story of the incident that has taken place, it’s the police decision whether to take actions further and go through the correct processes, of gaining justice for this victim. With the victim, the majority of the time there is an inevitable case to be brought forward, however theirs times when the evidence that has been given is taken out of the victims hands and preceded by the officer in charge. This can happen a lot in Domestic violence incidents when the compliant after giving a statement wants to withdraw their statement however it’s too late and the case is set in motion.
Using the example of domestic violence another role of the victim would be to attend court, and give evidence to the members of the court such as the Judge jury (in a trial) prosecutors and defence. This is the time the victim can ask how the offence has affected them, and the ideal punishment they believe is deserved.
In regards to the roles and status of victims in the criminal justice system, it all subsides to rebalancing the criminal justice system. So that victims are in fact victims are more deemed as ‘victims’ rather than evidence. This causes controversial, arguments of victim statements and victim statement of opinion being produced in courts, implying the victim in fact has the right to put across the damage the crime has imposed upon them and their family and suggesting the sentence that I to be handed out. However if the offence was so horrifying why do they live to ret-tell the story.
So when handling a victim there are clear principles that need to be followed, to allow the victim to feel safe, protected and sympathised with. According to The Victims of Crime Act 1994, victims are to be dealt with sympathetically, constructively and in a reassuring manner, and with ‘’due regards to that persons individual situation, rights and dignity’’ (victim information 2007 pp.1). In some serious cases public protections is given to victims after the incident and or while the criminal case is open. Implementations of counselling, advice and guidance are given when dealing with victims to help the person come to terms with the previous incident, and there rights within the criminal justice system as a victim. Such services are better known as the VSS -the victim’s service scheme and the JAU - the justice advocacy unit. (Victim information 2007 pp.4)
In conclusion are victims used to purely gain justice, or to help punish, those non law abiding citizens?
More implementations should be put into place to ensure the victims of crime are in fact treated and portrayed as victims, and not deemed to be vital evidence in a criminal case then neglected once the case is closed. ‘’forgotten players’’ (Davies 2010, pp 69) or used to facilitate justice or a criminal conviction, as the criminal justice system was created to protect the public from those that defy the law. (Davies 2010) the situation has somewhat changed but victims are still feeling let don’t by the system and the treatment and lack of support they are given within and after the process of their
situation.
Bibliography
Books
Davies, M. Croall, H. and Tyrer J. (2010) Criminal justice 4th Ed. Pearson, Essex
Briggs, S. and Friedman, J. (2009) Criminology for Dummies, Wiley publishing, Indianapolis
Carrabine E, Cox P, Lee M. Plummer K. South N. (2009) Criminology a sociological introduction, 2nd Ed. Routledge, Oxon
Christie, N. (2004) A suitable Amount of Crime, Routledge, London Cited in; Newman T. (2007) Criminology, Willian publishing: Devon
Karmen, A. (2010) Crime Victims: an Introduction to Victimology 7th Ed. Cengage learning, Belmount
Maguire, M. Morgan R. and Robert R. (eds.) The oxford guide to Criminology 3rd Ed. Oxford university press, new York
Phillips, C. and Bowling, B. (2002) Racism, Ethnicity Crime and Criminal Justice, in Maguire, M. Morgan R. and Robert R. (eds.) The oxford guide to Criminology 3rd Ed. Oxford university press, new York. Cited In, Davies, M. Croall, H. and Tyrer J. (2010) Criminal justice 4th Ed. Pearson, Essex
Web address
Justice agencies failing victims says criminal justice audit (2011) Available from [Accessed 9 December 2011]
Criminal justice ‘fails victims’ (2003) Available from [Accessed 9 December 2011]
Victim support information guide 3, (2007) Available from
[Accessed 9 December 2011]