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Crime Typologies & Victimology

“Crime Typologies & Victimology PowerPoint” by Stephanie Wiley for Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed CC BY NC SA.

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Objectives

3.1 Recognize different types of crime

3.2 Identify examples of “street”, corporate, & white-collar crime

3.3 Characterize victimology as a discipline

3.4 Recognize criticisms of crime victim typologies

3.5 Identify the role of victims in the criminal justice process

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Types of Crime

  • “Street”: Typical interpersonal & property crimes
    • Homicide, rape, arson, drugs, robbery, assault, theft, burglary…

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  • White Collar: Financial crimes for personal gain
    • Insider trading, credit card theft, embezzlement, Ponzi schemes…

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  • Corporate: Crimes committed by corporation or members for company or individual gain
    • White collar, environmental, negligence, violence…

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Types of Crime: Legal Classifications

Most Serious

    • Felonies
    • Serious bodily harm, property damage, financial injury
    • Punishable by more than 1 year in prison; up to $500,00 fine

Less Serious

    • Felony-misdemeanors
    • Discretion to charge as felony or misdemeanor, depending on harm or seriousness

Less Serious

    • Misdemeanors
    • Punishable by fine up to $6,250 or jail time up to 1 year

Least Serious

    • Violations & infractions
    • Punishable by fines, fees, community service

See Oregon Revised Statutes for more

Crimes against Persons

  • Individuals, families

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Crimes against Property

  • Personal & state property, money

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Controlled Substances

  • Drug crimes; manufacture, possess, sell, distribute

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Fraud or Deception Offenses

  • White collar, financial

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Public Order Offenses

  • Threats to public order, weapons charges

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Offenses against General Welfare & Animals

  • Gambling, prostitution, animal abuse

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Victimology

  • Victimology is…the study of the experiences of crime victims
    • Who, what, when, why, psychological effects, rights…

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  • Early victim typologies
    • “Innocent” vs. “guilty” victims

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  • Sexual victimization as a recent phenomenon
    • 1970s: Marital rape illegal
    • Rape pre-2013: “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.”

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Victim Blaming

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Who’s Victimized?

  • Socioeconomic status: poverty, lower education
  • Age: Young adults
  • Gender: Depends on the crime
    • Homicide: Males
    • Sexual violence: Transgender, females
  • Race & ethnicity: Black & Indigenous people

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  • Secondary victims: Witnesses, family

Victim

Offender

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Victims & the CJS

  • Victim’s Rights & Restitution Act of 1990
    • Be treated with dignity, respect, & sensitivity
    • Be informed
    • Protection
    • Apply for compensation
    • Restitution
    • Prompt return of personal property
    • Speedy trial

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  • Victim Reporting

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Victim Impact Statements

Enforcement of victim’s rights

To be continued…

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Recap

  1. “Street”, white collar, & corporate classifications are useful for thinking about crime types, but legal categories are grouped by:
    • Seriousness & punishment: Felonies, felony-misdemeanors, misdemeanors, violations
    • Scope: Persons, property, controlled substances, fraud or deception, public order, general welfare & animals
  2. Victimology is a subfield of criminology: Focus on victims, not offender
  3. Early typologies implicated victims in problematic ways
    • But, victim blaming continues today
  4. Victims have federally protected rights