Victims, prevention and punishment Flashcards
Give some facts and figures about victims
- men are twice as likely to be victims
- young men (16-24) experience most crime
- women are more afraid of crime
- women are twice as likely to be victims of domestic abuse
- ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be victims than white people
- ethnic minorities more likely to be victims of violent crime
- rich people more likely to be victims of debit card fraud
- poor are more likely to be victims of domestic violence
What is repeat victimisation?
when individuals fall victim to the same type of crime more than once
What is victimology?
tries to explain how people become victims of crime
What does Christie argue about being a victim?
it is a social construct and society are more willing to view certain people as victims e.g old people
What does positivist victimology argue?
some people are more likely to be victims than others because of their actions e.g leaving door unlocked or characteristics
What are the criticisms of positivist victimology?
they blame the victim
ignore state crime and white collar crime where there is no individual victim
What does critical victimology argue?
(marxism and feminism) oppressed groups are also more likely to be victims e.g working class and women (aka structural powerlessness)
What are the criticisms of critical victimology?
people in power fail to label sufferers as victims, so they are refusing to acknowledge that harm has been done, or they blame the victim
Why do feminists argue that patriarchal attitudes make women victims?
- domestic violence is result on unequal power
- fear of crime is used to control women e.g telling them not to be provocative
- the law is biased against women, the law ingores crimes against women
What crime prevention approach do right realists favour?
situational crime prevention approach
What is the situational crime prevention?
involves changing the physical environment of an area to make it harder for people to commit crimes e.g CCTV, gated areas, street lights
What is situational crime prevention based on?
rational choice theory - people won’t try to commit crime if it’s likely they will get caught
What are the criticisms of situational crime prevention?
- crime just moves to less protected areas (displacement)
- focuses on theft and vandalism, ignores white collar crime and state crime
- doesn’t tackle the factors that make people want to commit crime
What is environmental crime prevention?
keeps areas clean to make it obvious that people care about the area e.g fixing vandalised property and picking up litter
How is surveillance used to detect and prevent crime?
- deters criminals, as they are more likely to be caught
- police and gov keep online profiles of known criminals using technological surveillance, making it harder for criminals to organise crime online
