10.2 Victim Typologies and Risk Factors

Victim typologies categorize individuals affected by crime, from primary victims directly harmed to tertiary victims in the broader community. Understanding these types helps tailor support and prevention strategies. Factors like age, lifestyle, and prior victimization influence risk.

Repeat victimization is a crucial concept in criminology, where individuals experience multiple crimes. This phenomenon shapes crime prevention efforts, focusing on high-risk victims and implementing targeted interventions. Different crime types often have specific victim characteristics and risk factors.

Victim Typologies

Types of victim typologies

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• Primary victims
  • Direct targets of the criminal act suffer immediate physical, emotional, or financial harm (assault victims, robbery victims)
• Secondary victims
  • Indirectly affected by the crime such as close family members or friends of the primary victim experience emotional distress, financial burden, or social stigma (children of domestic violence victims, parents of murdered children)
• Tertiary victims
  • Broader community or society affected by the crime experience fear, anxiety, or loss of sense of safety includes witnesses, first responders, and those in the affected community (residents of a neighborhood where a violent crime occurred, emergency medical technicians treating victims of a mass shooting)

Factors influencing victimization risk

• Demographic factors
  • Age: Young adults and elderly individuals at higher risk (college students, senior citizens)
  • Gender: Females at higher risk for certain crimes (sexual assault, domestic violence)
  • Socioeconomic status: Lower-income individuals at higher risk (residents of impoverished neighborhoods)
• Social factors
  • Lifestyle: High-risk behaviors or activities increase vulnerability (substance abuse, prostitution)
  • Proximity to offenders: Living in high-crime areas or associating with criminal individuals (residing in gang-controlled territories, having friends involved in illegal activities)
  • Lack of social support or guardianship leaves individuals more susceptible to victimization (isolated elderly individuals, unsupervised children)
• Psychological factors
  • Prior victimization: Increases risk of future victimization (survivors of childhood abuse, victims of repeated domestic violence)
  • Mental health issues: May increase vulnerability or impair risk assessment (individuals with depression or anxiety disorders)
  • Cognitive disabilities: May hinder ability to recognize or respond to threats (people with intellectual disabilities or dementia)

Repeat Victimization and Crime Prevention

Concept of repeat victimization

• Repeat victimization
  • Occurs when an individual is victimized multiple times by the same type of crime or different crimes (a person robbed multiple times, a domestic violence victim experiencing physical and emotional abuse)
  • Increased risk for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and property crimes (intimate partner violence, campus sexual assault, residential burglary)
• Implications for crime prevention
  1. Identifying and targeting high-risk victims for intervention (providing support services to domestic violence survivors)
  2. Implementing situational crime prevention measures (improved security systems, environmental design changes to reduce opportunities for crime)
  3. Providing support services and resources to prevent revictimization (counseling, legal assistance, financial aid)
  4. Focusing on offender-based strategies to reduce recidivism (rehabilitation programs, strict monitoring of repeat offenders)

Victim characteristics vs crime types

• Domestic violence
  • Victims often female, in intimate relationships with offenders (wives, girlfriends)
  • Risk factors: Prior history of abuse, economic dependence, social isolation
• Sexual assault
  • Victims predominantly female, often young adults or adolescents (college students, teenage girls)
  • Risk factors: Substance abuse, prior victimization, high-risk environments (bars, parties)
• Property crimes
  • Victims often targeted based on perceived vulnerability or attractiveness of property (homes in affluent neighborhoods, cars parked in secluded areas)
  • Risk factors: Living in high-crime areas, lack of security measures, routine activities that leave property unattended
• Hate crimes
  • Victims targeted based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or other group characteristics (African Americans, Muslims, LGBTQ+ individuals)
  • Risk factors: Membership in marginalized or minority groups, visibility, political climate that fosters discrimination or prejudice