NCJ Number
86195
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This essay distinguishes between victimology and criminology and suggests orientations for the two disciplines.
Abstract
Victimology consists of the study of victims in general, while criminology deals with only a particular category of victims, i.e., victims of crime. Since criminology and victimology have one category of victims in common, this area will have to be approached from either angle; criminology confines itself to the victim-offender relationship while victimology aims at a comprehensive analysis of the different types of victimization. There should be interdisciplinary cooperation between those scientists who are currently doing independent research on victimization. Victimization can result from six fundamental factors: nature, society, energy supply, motorization, criminality, and sometimes the victims themselves. The ultimate goal of victimology should be to provide practical help for victims, similar to the model of medicine, which combines research and clinical application through cooperation with other disciplines. Institutes of general victimology should focus on all aspects of victimization outside the hospital's field of duty, notably general aspects of the victim's plight, the victimization of groups, and means of preventing victimization. In attempting to curb criminal victimization, criminology should focus on the prevention of criminogenic social factors, such as debilitating social milieus and inadequate education and job training for youth. One reference is provided.