NCJ Number
238320
Date Published
2011
Length
300 pages
Annotation
This book, American Victimology, examines the factors that affect how today's U.S. criminal justice system responds to victims.
Abstract
This book provides a framework for policymakers, students, and researchers to use in discussing the ways that the U.S. criminal justice system responds to victims and victim issues. The book is divided into 12 chapters, examines a variety of victim issues, and discusses the boundaries of the roles, definitions, and consequences that guide policymaking in the criminal justice system in regards to its response to victims. Chapter 1 discusses the concept of victim in crime studies by examining the definition of a victim and different victim typologies. Chapter 2 examines the development of major data sources for studying victimization. Chapter 3 examines different criminological theories that address the issue of victimization and victims. Chapter 4 presents examples of how politics has entered the discussion of victims' needs in today's society. Chapter 5 examines several issues that victims encounter when dealing with today's court system. Chapter 6 discusses the role of victim advocates and protective service agencies that provide assistant to victims. Chapter 7 explores the issue of special victims and why certain victims receive this designation, while chapter 8 examines various forms of family violence, specifically spousal battering and child abuse. Chapter 9 examines the issue of how crimes against persons affects the physical locations of where the crimes occurred. Chapter 10 explores the issue of whether animals should be considered victims, while chapter 11 examines how victims are portrayed in news media, films, and literature. Finally, chapter 12 discusses the dynamics of the victim-offender relationship. References and index