What is Victimology?

OVERVIEW

We briefly discussed victimology, specifically relating to serial offenses and victim patterns, in a recent article about criminal profiling, but I feel that did not do it justice. Victimology is the study of the victims of violent and sexual offenses along with all the things examined when doing this. Victimology plays a significant role in catching serial offenders. Offenders may display patterns of victimization in their offenses leading to an influx of information on their personal characteristics. Victimology has many subjects, from interviewing victims to figuring out a pattern in a serial homicide case.

WHAT IS VICTIMOLOGY?

To put it simply, victimology is the study of victims of crimes. It is a branch of criminology focusing on the relationship/interactions of the victim and offender. The definition, or rather specialty, may vary depending on the characteristics of the case. For instance, if the victim(s) survived, the traumatic and psychological effects on the victim(s) may be studied in order to gain further insight into the mind of the offender or use the victim(s) experience to apply it to a future case. In situations where victims survive, victimology also includes studying the victims’ coping mechanisms, responses to their experiences, etc. Specialists in these fields may also help victims recover, find helpful coping mechanisms, and any other help needed.

While it is true that techniques and specialties vary from case to case, it is also true that many attributes may stay the same even in individual circumstances. This includes things such as the relationship between victim and offender, victim(s) risk factor (more on this further below) and how it contributed to the offense, pattern of victims, and other details of the like.

When a specialist is working on an active serial offender, the pattern of victims is the most likely to be considered first. Even if no pattern is found, that is even more telling than not. The offender may explicitly display motive even without wanting to, whether their victims are randomized or not. For instance, if an offender murders only black-haired, white, older women, a conclusion that they are substitutes for an authority figure such as a mother would be reasonable. If a separate serial offender chooses their homicide victims at random, but in a public space, a reasonable conclusion to be drawn is that the offender is looking specifically for public attention. If the victim(s) survive(s), remorse or the opposite may even be considered. The offender may enjoy watching the victim(s) suffer the psychological and traumatic effects of the event. Based on victimology, many conclusions can be drawn, leading to an offender’s arrest. However, these conclusions can be wrong. In order to properly examine a case, specialists must consider all characteristics of the offense.

Additionally, victim and offender relationship is equally important. If there is a clear link, it may be personal; if not, that conclusion can be crossed out.

RISK FACTORS

Several aspects of a victim’s life are considered to determine if there is a clear pattern. This can include characteristics such as gender, occupation, substance abuse, lifestyle, personality, and other personal attributes that may have made the victim more likely to be victimized. It is also essential to consider the victim’s location, the circumstances of the offense, whether or not the victim prioritized their safety, or if they were aware the offender was dangerous, along with other situational factors not affected by personal attributes.

Most specialists classify victims as either low, moderate, or high risk. As the classification suggests, low-risk victims have a low chance of being victimized by offenders. Moderate-risk victims usually do not have a high chance of being victimized, but situational circumstances elevated this probability. High-risk victims have a higher chance of being victimized by offenders without situational circumstances affecting this probability. This could include the area someone lives in, occupation, personality, lifestyle, etc. (Morton et al., 2014).

Risk factors are especially important in victimology because they may reveal an explicit pattern of victims or lack thereof. This can determine the offender’s personal attributes, including occupation, residence, substance abuse (if any), age, personality, confidence in offenses, etc., furthering the investigation and narrowing the suspect field. An offender’s motive and criminal experience can also be revealed based on a pattern of victims with specific risk factors. For example, an offender targeting high-risk victims may be doing this due to prejudice towards those considered high-risk (e.g., sex workers, those in a community with a high crime rate, drug addicts, homeless people, etc.) or done at random due to their high probability of being targeted. On the other hand, if a victim is low-risk, it may have been more personal than not. It may also show that the offender themselves would also be considered low-risk if done without attracting attention.

CRITERIA

Another part of the victimology process is the question of “how does this offender choose their victims?” This may add to the development of a clear victim pattern, or it may show that the victims are simply victims of opportunity. Either way, victimology can help work to answer this question and further the investigation based on three criteria, according to the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime of the Federal Bureau of Investigation:

1. Availability - How easy an offender’s victims are to approach, coerce, or assault. The easier the victim is to approach, the more available the victim is to the offender and the more likely the offender is to target them.

2. Vulnerability - This considers the victim’s risk factor and evaluates how difficult it is for an offender to take advantage of a victim(s). This may include situational circumstances such as a victim under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A high-risk victim tends to be more vulnerable than a low-risk victim without situationally elevated chances of victimization by potential offenders.

3. Desirability - The definition of desirability will vary from offender to offender. If the offense has a sexual motive (e.g., sexual gratification from murder, sexual assault, pedophilia, etc.), desirability means the perceived attractiveness of a victim to the offender. If the offense has a different motive, a victim’s desirability may be based on other victim attributes the offender requires (e.g., black hair, specific age group, occupation, prior interaction, etc.)

The classification of low, moderate, and high-risk plays an important role in how the victims are chosen and eventually assaulted. This information can determine if the offender is selecting a particular set of victims or if they are randomized and instead victims of opportunity. Additionally, the confidence of the offender can be determined by this as well. If victims are easy to assault and victimize, there is a chance that the offender feels less confident in their social skills or strength, once again narrowing the suspect pool. It should be noted that when there is a pattern of victims, and the victims are pre-chosen by the offender, organized traits are displayed. When victims are victims of opportunity and completely randomized, disorganized offender traits are expressed.

CONCLUSION

In this article, we looked at victimology specifically relating to serial offenses and criminal profiling. Victimology has evolved over the recent decades and focuses on the victims instead of the offenders. Victimology displays various specialties ranging from determining patterns of victims to studying the psychological and traumatic effects on the surviving victim(s) of a violent or sexual offense. When it is used in profiling a violent offender, victimology displays many different processes to lead to the capture of the offender. While it is still considered a new field of criminology, it has contributed a lot to understanding the criminal mind and insight into how deeply a person is affected when targeted by a violent offender.

REFERENCES

Grand Canyon University. (2019). 3 Modern Theories of Victimology. GCU. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/criminal-justice-government-and-public-administration/3-modern-theories-victimology

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2023). Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victimology

Morton, R. J., Tillman, J. M., & Gaines, S. J. (2014). Behavioral Analysis Unit 4 National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime Critical Incident Response Group Federal Bureau of Investigation ii https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/serialmurder-pathwaysforinvestigations.pdf

Organized Versus Disorganized Serial Predators. (2019). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201806/organized-versus-disorganized-serial-predators

Vital Role of Victimology in the Rehabilitation of Offenders and Their Reintegration Into Society (From Resource Material Series No. 56, P 71-86, 2000, Hiroshi Iitsuka and Rebecca Findlay-Debeck, eds. -- See NCJ-191475) | Office of Justice Programs. (2023). Ojp.gov. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/vital-role-victimology-rehabilitation-offenders-and-their#:~:text=Theoretical%20victimology%20is%20the%20study,the%20genesis%20of%20the%20crime.

Victimology | Britannica. (2023). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/victimology

What Is Victimology? (2018, July 30). Kent; Office of Continuing and Distance Education, Kent State University. https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/sociology/criminal-justice/community/what-is-victimology-and-why-is-it-important

what-is-victimology-and-why-is-it-important-in-forensic-psychology. (2018). Walden University. https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-forensic-psychology/resource/what-is-victimology-and-why-is-it-important-in-forensic-psychology

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