NCJ Number
67577
Date Published
1975
Length
55 pages
Annotation
THE FINDINGS OF A COMPARATIVE SURVEY OF 149 CRIME VICTIMS AND 163 NONVICTIMS IN PANAMA INDICATED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY TRAITS, BUT VARIATIONS IN EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
Abstract
THIS SURVEY WAS PART OF A JOINT PROJECT BY THE CRIMINOLOGY INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PANAMA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIF., COVERING 11 METROPOLITAN AREAS IN POLAND, YUGOSLAVIA, NIGERIA, ZAMBIA, ENGLAND, NORWAY, ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, PANAMA, CHILE, AND PERU. IT WAS BASED ON THE TRIPLE HYPOTHESIS THAT (1) CRIME VICTIMS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM NONVICTIMS, (2) IN THE MAJORITY OF CASES, A VICTIM-OFFENDER RELATIONSHIP EXISTED PRIOR TO THE CRIME, AND (3) THE CRIME WAS FACILITATED BY CIRCUMSTANCES WHOSE MODIFICATION PREVENTS FURTHER VICTIMIZATION. WHILE THE FIRST HYPOTHESIS WAS NOT VERIFIED, THE SECOND AND THIRD PROVED ACCURATE. A COMPLEX CLASSIFICATION SCALE RATED THE DEGREES OF A VICTIM'S PARTICIPATION IN A CRIME FROM TOTALLY INNOCENT VICTIM TO GUILTIER-THAN-THE AGGRESSOR (VICTIM EXTREMELY PROVOKED THE LATTER) AND VICTIM AS THE SOLE GUILTY PARTY (ALLEGED VICTIM MALICIOUSLY ACCUSED A PERSON OF COMMITTING A FABRICATED CRIME). THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN PARTICIPATING AND ACCIDENTAL VICTIM WAS ESPECIALLY RELEVANT TO SEX OFFENSE VICTIMS, WHO WERE OFTEN FOUND TO BE EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED WOMEN WITH PREVIOUS SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OFFENDERS. THE SURVEY DID NOT REVEAL ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE PERSONAL DATA OF VICTIMS AND ATTITUDES OF THE TWO SAMPLES, ONLY IN THE LENGTH OF RESIDENCE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS (CRIME VICTIMS HAD GENERALLY RESIDED AT THEIR ADDRESSES FOR A MUCH SHORTER TIME THAN NONVICTIMS). THE RAINY SEASON AND NIGHT HOURS WERE CONDUCIVE TO CRIME. FURTHERMORE, CRIME VICTIMS APPEAR TO CHANGE THEIR HABITS AND LIFESTYLES AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR VICTIMIZATION. OVER 50 PERCENT OF THE CRIME VICTIMS DID NOT KNOW THEIR AGGRESSORS, WHILE LESS THAN ONE-FIFTH ADMITTED TO BEING SUPERFICIALLY ACQUAINTED WITH THEM. ONLY 57 OF THE 149 CRIME VICTIMS SURVEYED HAD REPORTED THE CRIME TO THE POLICE. BOTH VICTIMS AND AGGRESSORS WERE PREDOMINANTLY YOUNG (IN THE 18 TO 27 AGE GROUP) AND VICTIMS WERE OFTEN UNEMPLOYED HEADS OF FAMILY. TABULAR DATA AND SEVEN REFERENCES. --IN SPANISH.