Victimology
Victimology research papers for criminal justice studies provide research and enlightenment on the phenomena of being a victim in the criminal justice system. Part psychological study, part sociological, victimology has advanced in recent years to the point that our writers need to explain the complex set of circumstances that face a victim of a crime using only the most recent data discovered.
In the area of criminology, victimology is the study of victims, including:
- The relationship between victims and their offenders
- The interactions of victims of crime with the criminal justice system.
A victim is defined as any person who has been directly harmed by a perpetrator.
Victimology is vital to the investigative process by law enforcement. Similarities among victims can provide clues as to why they were chosen by perpetrators. This insight into how a criminal thinks can lead to understanding how the perpetrator acts.
Victimology And the Rights of Victims
One of the first major acts to recognizes the rights of victims came in the 1991 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Payne v. Tennessee, which permitted crime victims to make a personal statement during the sentencing phase of a trial. This is a recognition that there is an emotional aspect to crime, as upwards of three-quarters of crime victims suffer some psychological aftereffects, including PTSD. In many aspects of criminal jurisprudence, simply to sentencing an offender is not enough to compensate for the emotional loss suffered by victims.
The World Society of Victimology, a non-governmental agency (NGO) exists to advance research in the field of victimology, as part of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council. This organization was formed in 1979 and holds a Symposium every three years.