Debriefing Victims of Crime--The Role of the Criminologist

• NCJ Number: 221590
• Journal: Acta Criminologica Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: 2007 Pages: 106-114
• Author(s): B. Beukman; H. Conradie
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: South Africa
• Note: To access the full text PDF: 1) select the provided link; 2) from the Acta Criminologica Web site, select "Table of Contents"; 3) select the corresponding Volume and Issue (see the NCJRS abstract record for the exact Volume and Issue); 4) scroll the Table of Contents to the exact article; and 5) click on the "full text" icon. Downloaded on February 14, 2008.

Annotation

This paper highlights the role of the criminologist by identifying basic guidelines for interacting with crime victims in the immediate and protracted period of time following victimization.

Abstract

Debriefing is a form of first-contact support. The expert understanding of crime, the victim and the social context in which the crime was committed makes it possible for the criminologist to offer debriefing through counseling based on such understanding. Criminologists are therefore in a position to normalize the reaction of the victim and offer preparation for future experiences in the form of crime preventative information. Through the expertise of the criminologist, debriefing acquires a structure that culminates into a technique that is very specific and that does not exclude any other additional assistance from professionals such as psychologists. Much has been said about and written on the need and necessity for and value of support services for victims of crime. The need to support the victims of crime comes from the experience of crime as a crisis period and the period immediately following on a crime as traumatic. This paper highlights the role of the criminologist identifying basic guidelines for interacting with crime victims immediately and an extended period of time following victimization. It is argued that the criminologist can ensure a faster throughput of traumatized crime victims, because they can assist in cases where intervention by social workers or clinical psychologists or psychiatrists is not really necessary. Bibliography