Victims, Crime, and Social Control


Book Description

This book examines the implications of the victim's role in contemporary society, emphasizing their role in the social control of criminals. It provides an overview of developments in the concept of 'victim', the lack of agreement among legal scholars, social scientists and psychiatrists as to the nature of the victim, and discusses the strong impetus of criminologists to narrow the definition of victim, linking it to crime and criminals. This linkage has given victims an ongoing place in the process of social control. Victims have a role in the trial and prosecution of offenders, but as a "particular kind of witness", whose personal needs are subordinate to the needs of the criminal process. The new availability of public programs for victims are discussed, but in the context of how these programs have been designed as much as to control criminals as to meet the needs of victims.




Crime and its Social Context


Book Description

Theories of criminality and theories of victimization have traditionally been discussed as though they bore no relationship to one another. Yet, a complete explanation for crime must examine both the decision to engage in crime by an offender and the everyday actions of ordinary citizens that increase vulnerability to criminals. The integration of these approaches yields testable models that have greater predictive power than could be obtained by looking only at models of offenders or models of victim behavior. A more general perspective that accounts for both the decision to engage in crime and the selection of particular crime targets is developed and tested.




Social and Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization


Book Description

Publisher's description: What are the effects that violent crime has on our everyday lives, both in terms of the individual victims and their larger community? This unique text draws from both the fields of criminology and psychology to provide a comprehensive examination of the two major areas that are most significantly effected by violent crime - the crime victims themselves and the larger sphere of their families, friends, neighborhoods, and communities. Beginning with a discussion of the how we measure and study violent victimization, the authors R. Barry Ruback and Martie P. Thompson, look at the immediate and long-term impact violent acts has upon the direct victims. Social and Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization examines "secondary victims"--Family members, neighbors, friends, and the professional involved with investigating and prosecuting the crime and helping the victim, and also impacts of violent crime on neighborhoods and communities. The authors conclude with recommendations of effective interventions that can be made at the levels of the individual, the community, and the criminal justice and mental health systems. This book's one-of-a kind focus on both the psychological and social impact of crime makes it an invaluable supplementary text for criminal justice and criminology courses dealing with victimization, violent crimes, and the criminal justice process. The book will also interest professionals in victim services, crime prevention, criminal justice, and social work.




Beyond Law and Order


Book Description

Part of a series which explores contemporary sociological issues, this volume examines criminal justice policy and politics in the UK, looking to their development into the 1990s.







Understanding Crime Prevention


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive overview of current and historical debates about crime prevention in particular and social control more generally. It moves beyond the traditional boundaries of criminology and offers an original re-framing of the field of crime prevention based on a synthesis of exciting new thinking in social theory.




Victims, Crime and Society


Book Description

'Focusing on key issues, themes and concepts within victimology, this edited collection provides an accessible and comprehensive critical analysis of crucial areas within victimisation. The main theories are related to, and integrated with, empirical research in an engaging style.' - Dr Anette Ballinger, Keele University 'This book achieves the rare feat of helping its readers without patronising them. The aids to the reader - tables, boxes, glossaries, questions, and suggestions for further reading - will prove genuinely helpful to students and their teachers, but they appear within a text that is theoretically informed as well as comprehensive and up to date in its coverage. It deserves to be widely read and used in the teaching of criminology, victimology, and criminal justice' - Professor David Smith, University of Lancaster, UK. Organized around the intersecting social divisions of class, race, age and gender, the book provides an engaging and authoritative overview of the nature of victimisation in society. In addition to a review of the major theoretical developments in relation to understanding aspects of victimization in society, individual chapters explore the political and social context of victimisation and the historical, comparative and contemporary research and scholarly work on it. Each chapter includes the following: - Background and glossary - Theory, research and policy review - `Thinking critically about...' sections - Reflections and future research directions - Summary and conclusions - Annotated bibliography Victims, Crime and Society is the essential text on victims for students of criminology, criminal justice, community safety, youth justice and related areas.




Crime and Social Control


Book Description

Provides a basic overview of the ways in which the state intervenes in the lives of offenders, victims and members of the wider community. Author White at University of Tasmania, author Perrone with the Department of Justice, Victoria.




Voices of Crime


Book Description

"The book is a collection of essays looking at histories of crime and justice in Latin America, with a focus on social history and the interactions between state institutions, the press, and social groups. It argues that crime in Latin America is best understood from the "bottom up" -- not just as the exercise of power from the state. The book seeks to document and illustrate the "every day" experiences of crime in particular settings, emphasizing under-researched historical actors such as criminals, victims, and police officers"--Provided by publisher.




Inequality, Crime, And Social Control


Book Description

This book brings together the most recent advances in theory and research on the relationship between social inequality and the control of criminal behavior, exploring the ways in which social class, race, gender, and age shape societal and organizational responses to crime.