The-Victims-Role-and-Victimizations-Toll-on-Society-POWERPOINT.pptx

For Criminology

1. THE VICTIM’S ROLE AND VICTIMIZATION’S TOLL ON SOCIETY Prepared by: Russel Q. Baccali Mariele Ann S. Bagangan Billy John M. Bagasala

2. INTRODUCTION An important question is what the word crime victim represents? Use of this term to represent a person who is affected by a burglary or is subjected to an unprovoked beating would be unlikely to cause protests. But are relatives of a murder victim also victims of crime? Should parents of an underage murderer be considered crime victims? Are companies and organizations that have been targets of criminal activity also crime victims?

3. The most fundamental definition of the term crime victim limits itself to physical individuals who have been directly subjected to criminal activity ( Diesen et al, 1995). This strict legal definition excludes both indirect victims, such as a man whose wife was raped or a child who lives in a violent environment and companies or other juridical persons exposed to crime. Another definition is limited to victims of traditional crimes – primarily crimes of theft or violence. THis definition also excludes certain victim groups, for example victims of economic or environmental crimes. There exist more universal definitions, which also include victims of natural disasters, environmental catastrophes, traffic accidents, etc. (Mendelsohn, 1982).

4. DISCUSSION Economic Loss To understand the reactions of victims to criminal justice, and to be able best to support victims, we need to know the effects of crime on victims. A victim of a crime may possibly experience many different kinds of effects: Direct costs and inconvenience due to theft of or damage to property (including time off work). The physical effects of injury through violent crime. Guilt at having become the victim of crime and feelings one could have prevented it (whether or not this was at all possible).

5. Psychological effects such as anger, depression or fear, which, in serious cases, can cause sleeplessness, flashbacks to the offence or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Feelings of anxiety through shock that such a thing has happened and worries about revictimization , sometimes leading to feelings of loss of trust in one’s community and in society. Limiting one’s social life or work life, or changing one’s lifestyle, by not going to places like where the crime occurred or being afraid to go out altogether, because of unease or fears of revictimisation . Taking extra crime preventive measures. Dealing with insurance claims and, for those for whom the crime is reported to the police, the police and other parts of the criminal justice system.

6. It is almost impossible to predict exactly what effects an individual victim will suffer. People react very differently to similar offences and where one person may be seriously affected, another might experience only minor or short-term effects. Those who are more vulnerable (such as people who are poor, live in deprived areas or have other life stressors) and those who have been previously victimized are more likely to find a greater impact on them.

7. The effects of a crime can be felt not only by the individual who the criminal justice system treats as the direct victim, but also by their family and those close to them. Crime against businesses is also not an effect-free area as both managers and staff are likely to be affected. The knowledge of victimization and its shock can spread out through a neighborhood creating a ‘ripple effect’.

8. Some effects may only be short-term. Victims tend to cope with financial loss (though not time off work) quite quickly, by using their own resources, or with the help of friends and family. However, psychological and social effects can be very long-lasting, over months or even years. A small proportion of the most seriously affected (who tend to be victims of serious physical assaults, robberies and particularly rape, as well as the relatives of victims of homicide) may develop PTSD, which will need professional psychiatric or psychological help.

9. Blaming the Victim " Victim blaming" is, simply put, the concept of placing the responsibility for a misfortune primarily or entirely on the victim of the misfortune. When "victim blaming" is referred to, it almost always refers to when someone hurt by someone or something  did not actively contribute to the misfortune  and is still being blamed for their own misfortune.

10. CAUSES Belief in victim blaming stems from a desire for comfort and hope: Victim blaming comforts you by reassuring you that bad things only happen to people who 'deserve' it because they didn't 'do the right thing':  "People choose to become victims.” Victim blaming gives you the illusion of control over your fate, giving you hope that bad things won't happen to you if you 'do the right thing':  "I can't be a victim because I choose not to be one."

11. At the root of this desire for comfort and hope are two fears. Fears that: Bad things happen to people who don't 'deserve' it:  "People have no choice in becoming victims." Even if you 'do the right thing', bad things could still happen to  you :  "I could be a victim." We are not instinctively rational beings who decide what to believe on the basis of rational thought. Instead, we instinctively  use our reasoning to justify what we already believe . Belief in victim blaming offers us great comfort and hope, and abandoning it would give us cause to fear. Accordingly, we remember information which justifies our belief in it and ignore or reject information which inspires doubt. The factual invalidity of victim blaming is irrelevant; if we wanted to do so badly enough, we could keep believing in it forever.

12. OBVIOUS VICTIM BLAMING Obvious victim blaming is  directly accusing the victim of a misfortune of causing it. Having a character do this will establish them as a  Jerkass  at best.

13. Some examples of obvious victim blaming: Blaming a rape victim for being raped due to promiscuity, alcohol or drug use, state of dress, being out after a certain hour. Blaming disaster victims because they live in an area prone to disasters and/or prepared insufficiently. Blaming X "sinful behavior" for Y disaster (though this is almost exclusively the purview of  The Fundamentalist ).

14. Blaming the victim for reacting negatively to hurtful things said to them/about them by telling them that they need to suck it up or that  the hurtful things that were said were not meant to be taken seriously . Blaming a  Domestic Abuse  victim for somehow provoking their abuser into violence.  Abusers  themselves are often known to say things like " Why Did You Make Me Hit You? " to portray their actions as  never their fault . Telling a victim of bullying that "they let themselves get bullied", or pointing out the reason they were being bullied. Blaming a victim of homo/transphobia for being openly expressive in public, such as a same-sex couple holding hands, a  Camp Gay  man,  Butch Lesbian , openly transgender person, etc.

15. Avoiding Victim Blaming Let's say you want to avoid victim blaming entirely, which is probably the best course of action in social media discussions, in some forms of writing, and in some other places.  

16. There are many forms of victimization that don't "just happen" to people; they have a perpetrator, someone who actively harms someone else. Writing characters or situations where someone has invited retribution on themselves may make for good drama, but drawing a connection between someone murdering puppies and then being sexually violated by an unrelated stranger is lazy writing at best and evokes  Values Dissonance  at worst. We love to see  a bad person get punished , but the punishment should come from the consequences of their actions, not whatever misfortune would best pay off their karmic debt.

17. People react differently to stressful situations of all kinds, and different pressures on a person can result in different, sometimes counter-intuitive, actions and ideas. A victim's personality, their level of self-confidence before and after the victimization, the amount of support they have in recovery and the circumstances of the event itself can all have a huge impact on how they cope with it, before, during, and after, and while there may be a few  observable trends , there is no pre-written script for dealing with loss, pain, suffering, and grief. A victim's reaction, no matter how bizarre, or passive, or self-destructive, is never an indication that they had it coming.

18. Long-Term Stress A little stress every now and then is not something to be concerned about. Ongoing, chronic stress, however, can cause or exacerbate many serious health problems, including: Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke Obesity and other eating disorders Menstrual problems Sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and premature ejaculation in men and loss of sexual desire in both men and women Skin and hair problems, such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and permanent hair loss Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and irritable colon

19. Fear Those who experience crime are more likely to be fearful and change their behaviors. Victims of violent crime are the most deeply affected, fearing a repeat of their attack. Fear of crime emerges as a social phenomenon which, in extreme cases, impinges on the quality of life, causes paranoia, anxiety and other psychological issues on a personal level and, at a social level, causes prejudice and segregation so that this insecurity has now become a major policy concern. Fear of crime leads to those who are more prosperous to protect themselves and their property, possibly displacing crime to those less privileged. Fear can also transform some public places into no-go areas which has a severe impact on the local prosperity.

20. Previous analysis of the fear of crime has already produced important outcomes. For instance, women and older people tend to feel more insecure, ethnic minorities tend to be more fearful as well as poor people, and that having some familiarity with the area reduces concerns about suffering a crime. One of the most frequently considered causes of the fear of crime is media. However, the audience of different media channels is self-selective and messages often depend on the interpretation of the consumer also, crime reported on the media is not a reflection of reality, with media placing more emphasis on violent crime therefore, the impact of the media on the fear of crime is unclear.

21. Antisocial Behaviour The abuse-crime phenomenon is referred to as the cycle of violence. Both boys and girls are likely to engage in violent behavior if they were the targets of physical abuse and were exposed to violent behavior among adults they know or live with or were exposed to weapons. People who were physically or sexually abused, especially young males, are much more likely to smoke, drink, and take drugs than are non-abused youth. As adults, victims are more likely to commit crimes themselves.

22. If your quality of life is badly affected by other people in your community then you could be a victim of antisocial behavior. We have experience of supporting people dealing with: noise nuisance neighbor disputes verbal abuse threatening behavior harassment and intimidation vandalism criminal damage.

23. You might think that an incident is small or unimportant to start with, but antisocial behavior can go on for a long time, and become very serious. Not all antisocial behavior is classed as crime but a lot is, or can become a crime. We can help you even if the police are not involved, but nothing will change if you don’t take action. You may not know how to do this, but we can give you the information and support you need to change things.

24. The Impact of Antisocial Behavior Anyone can experience antisocial behavior and it can affect you in many ways. You may find that: you can’t sleep you feel anxious and constantly on edge you are frightened to go out you don’t feel safe in your own home your children are upset you change your routine to avoid problems you want to move you can’t talk to anyone about it you feel you must have done something to cause it you think nothing will change and it will never end.

25. CONCLUSION In order to have a better understanding of the aftermath of criminal victimization, we must begin to accept the reality that crime is random, senseless and can happen to anyone regardless of the precautions that are taken to prevent being victimized. We must also understand that a victim's life is turned upside down when he or she becomes a victim of crime. In order to help victims learn to trust society again and regain a sense of balance and self-worth, we must educate all those who come in contact with victims and survivors. With proper training, all professionals will be better able to assist victims in dealing with the aftermath and trauma of victimization.