VICTIMOLOGY
How psychopaths select their victims: video
Successfully target the vulnerable persons – Ted Bundy quote
He could tell a victim by the tilt off her head as she walked
Ted Bundy was right
It took the psychopaths seconds to see who was a victim and who was not
Her arms are not moving in synchrony with her legs: victim
Anything not in line with the norm they see as vulnerable
Final competencies
1. Thorough knowledge of victimological theory, perspectives, and research traditions
2. Understanding and correctly using discipline-specific terminology
3. Critically following, interpreting, and assessing victimological sources
4. Analyzing victimological phenomena and responses critically from various theoretical frameworks
5. Critically analyzing and reflecting on legislative and policy developments
6. Being aware of the societal role and responsibility of a criminologist, and
understanding the social, economic, historical, and political context of different
approaches to victims
7. Respecting cultural differences, pluralism, gender, and ethical standards
8. Being open to insights from other knowledge domains in approaching victimological issues
9. Having knowledge regarding the etiology of victimology and the etiology of perceptions of
insecurity.
Concepts needs to be
clarified If you learn the
slides its okay
The consequences of victimizations: ZELF LEREN! ORANJE OP DE
PLANNING (PPT OOK) Application questions, form your opinion based on
the lectures
Gastcollege: die van VAPO niet kennen, de rest wel
1: ORIGIN AND CONCEPTS
1. HISTORY
THE ORIGIN
Victimology = the scientific study of the extent, nature, and causes of (criminal) victimization,
its consequences for the individuals involved, and societal responses, particularly those of the
police, criminal justice system, as well as voluntary and welfare services (VWS)
(de wetenschappelijke studie naar de omvang, aard en oorzaken van (crimineel)
slachtofferschap, de gevolgen ervan voor de betrokken personen en de maatschappelijke
reacties daarop, met name die van de politie, het strafrechtelijk systeem en vrijwilligers- en
welzijnsdiensten (VWS))
• Often considered a subdiscipline:
Psychiatry, law, social work.
However, criminologists have the greatest influence in the development.
An essential component of offender studies within criminology, it has thus become
an integral part of criminological sciences.
2 strands victimology
• One based on research police criminal justice (criminal victimization)
, • Humanistic approach: support the victim
Becoming a victim of a violent crime
• General lifestyle theory
Chances of becoming a victim is dependent on what you do, how you behave to
others and where you go
We have ideas of who becomes a victim but it’s not the same as what actually happens
Until the 1940s
They thought the victim has a passive role
Why does someone commit a crime?
Leopold Szondi: genotropism (1930s).
Theory: Reciprocal attraction of the same/similar recessive genes influencing human
behavior (instinct)
Theory is not tested yet/ proven
Niet iedereen heeft een gelijke kans om slachtoffer te worden, sommige hebben
meer kans dan anderen
So the victim selection is not necessary at random
Ted Bundy (1946-1989): Confirmed 36 victims in the 1970s.
Ted Bundy (continued)
Victim Selection (he selected them):
A matter of opportunity
He claimed that he could identify a potential victim by the way she walks down the
street, the way she carries her head, her body language, etc.
- Selected his victims by sight
Research confirms that victims exhibit certain typical body language, especially
in the way they walk. Because of the trauma people react to that, emotionally
but also physically
Psychopaths are more accurate in recognizing potential victims
(Onderzoek bevestigt dat slachtoffers bepaalde typische lichaamstaal vertonen, vooral in de
manier waarop ze lopen + psychopaten herkennen potentiële slachtoffers nauwkeuriger (dan
niet-psychopaten))
First mention of ”victimology”
Mendelsohn, 1947: during the presentation of a paper.
We need to better understand the motivation to commit a crime
We never look at the victim when studying the crime, but it is also important
Considered the spiritual father of the victim movement.
Werthem (1949) also advocates for a "crime victim-centered" science.
Focused particularly on murder: How come people get murdered?
First systematic investigation into crime victims by von Hentig (1941, 1948)
"The Criminal and his Victim" BOEK (1948). Part 4: "The Victim's contribution to the
genesis of the crime."
Critique of the one-dimensional perspective within criminology.
How the victim contributes of the genesis of the crime: important!
First time someone is investigating how a victim contributes to his own victimization
"The law considers certain results and the final moves which lead to them. Here it makes a
clear-cut distinction between the one who does and the one who suffers. Looking into the
genesis of the situation, in a considerable number of cases, we meet a victim who consents
tacitly, cooperates, conspires, or provokes. The victim is one of the causative elements" (p.
436).
(Wat doen de slachtoffers? Hoe worden zij slachtoffers?)
, *Law: looks at the crime (activity) and the results
*The one who suffers (passive) and the one who does
*Victim: not always a passive
Sometimes a victim agreed to become one, helped the perpetrator, conspires, cooperate,….
NEW way of thinking!!!!!
Not neutral….
Bv phishing: als je niet op de link had geklikt zou je geen slachtoffer geworden zijn…
This has lead you to lock your bike, lock your door,… when you don’t: you consent,
cooperate or provoke,….
Number of theoretical studies from that time on:
On victim types, the relationship between victim and offender, and the role victims play in
certain criminal phenomena
Von Hentig might have a point they thought
They looked at what was documented, theories
+
Number of empirical studies:
Typical phenomena: murder, rape, theft, assault, fraud, extortion (afpersing),...
Martin Wolfgang: "victim precipitated criminal homicide" (1957).
Studied 588 murder cases between 1948-1952 in Philadelphia
- 26% VP (victim precipitation) cases where the victim was the first to engage in violence.
- Victim precipitation (1/4)
- Without the violence, perhaps they would not have been murdered
Menachem Amir: "Victim precipitated forcible rape" (1967).
One of the last research, because the subject is very
sensitive
Active contribution: accepting a drink from a stranger,
riding with a stranger. NO excuse for the
- Did something actively offender!!!!!!!
Passive contribution: not reacting strongly enough to Victim blaming…
sexual advances. Just wanted reasons
Examples: alcohol, "reputation," place of residence, meeting place,...
Feminists were not okay with this: never an excuse -> he also stated this, but they did not
agree
Victim precipitation or victim-blaming?
Especially in the 1970s, victim precipitation was increasingly seen as victim-blaming… a thin line
Moral values…
VP research has contributed to two major criminological theories:
Lifestyle theory (Hindelang et al., 1978)
What you do in your life has an influence
Bv: If you fight a lot, more chance to be part of a violent crime
Routine activities theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979)
Crime will occur when you have a motivated offender with a suitable target and
the absence of a guardian
At the core of these pioneers: victims of crimes (not people who fall from a ladder or something)
1950s-1960s: murder, robbery,… what about people who were suppressed with the colonial
system?
Also during the 1970s-1980s due to the emergence of professional assistance for crime victims.
70-80s: due to the emergence of professional assistance for
crime
Liberals: if you succeed: its bc of you, when you fail: also bc of you
Equality before everything
If you grab the opportunities (for all the same), you might have a decent job: well done! You did it
But some people start really low… it’s not equal -> being the master of your
, own… not really true
You need to lock your houses, you need to call the police, report to the police -> people are
responsible (victim precipitation)
1979: establishment of the World Society of Victimology (WSV): first time that academicians to
look at what is a victim etc
THE EVOLUTION
Gradual broadening during the 1970s of the research focus
Similarities with war victims, prisoners in camps, and certain types of aggression and
discrimination (Nazism, Apartheid).
Focus on how we define victims
Criminologists explore other crimes/phenomena: white-collar crime (Sutherland),
environmental crime,...
Who is the victim here, and what about perception? What are we studying? Is this stated in
the law?
Shift of the criminal code: more different criminals, not only the poor crime
Is there something as a victimless crime???
International trade, how you treat your staff,… -> start looking at different kind
of crimes and victims, also victimless crimes
Also within the WSV (World Society of Victimology), discussions about the research object of
victimology.
Difference between scientific victimologists and humanistic aid providers.
Purely positivistic: let’s keep it to a definition connected to crime, it’s easy
- You also need to operationalizing the things: the stricter the definition, the better
Division among victimologists: restrict to victims of crimes or include other victims?
Refer to the definition of victimology by the World Society of Victimology (WSV).
Prominent debate in the 1970s-1980s, but largely disappeared by the late 1990s-2000s
(see UN Declaration).
UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power (1985)
Global south: we agree: need to help victims of crime
But someone who was extorted by a colonial murders regime needs compensation as well,
so they wanted to be recognized as victims of Abuse of Power (by the Western states)
West: hell no, we need to compensate for our policies?
- They want only for the victims of crime…
Unanimously adopted in the General Assembly.
Objective: set minimum standards for states to meet in providing assistance to victims
(more humane approach)
(Doel: minimumnormen vaststellen waaraan staten moeten voldoen bij het verlenen van
bijstand aan slachtoffers.)
West: “okay, we are going to admit, minimum commitments as well for abuse of power”
Was a compromise.
Developed countries (western): victims of crime.
Developing countries (south): victims of abuse of power should have the same rights as the first
category.
In the end we collected both in the compromise; But much more provision for the first category
than for the second.
See: 11. Where public officials or other agents acting in an official or quasi-official capacity have
violated national criminal laws, the victims should receive restitution from the State whose
officials or agents were responsible for the harm inflicted. & 19. States should consider
incorporating into national law norms proscribing abuses of power and providing remedies to
How psychopaths select their victims: video
Successfully target the vulnerable persons – Ted Bundy quote
He could tell a victim by the tilt off her head as she walked
Ted Bundy was right
It took the psychopaths seconds to see who was a victim and who was not
Her arms are not moving in synchrony with her legs: victim
Anything not in line with the norm they see as vulnerable
Final competencies
1. Thorough knowledge of victimological theory, perspectives, and research traditions
2. Understanding and correctly using discipline-specific terminology
3. Critically following, interpreting, and assessing victimological sources
4. Analyzing victimological phenomena and responses critically from various theoretical frameworks
5. Critically analyzing and reflecting on legislative and policy developments
6. Being aware of the societal role and responsibility of a criminologist, and
understanding the social, economic, historical, and political context of different
approaches to victims
7. Respecting cultural differences, pluralism, gender, and ethical standards
8. Being open to insights from other knowledge domains in approaching victimological issues
9. Having knowledge regarding the etiology of victimology and the etiology of perceptions of
insecurity.
Concepts needs to be
clarified If you learn the
slides its okay
The consequences of victimizations: ZELF LEREN! ORANJE OP DE
PLANNING (PPT OOK) Application questions, form your opinion based on
the lectures
Gastcollege: die van VAPO niet kennen, de rest wel
1: ORIGIN AND CONCEPTS
1. HISTORY
THE ORIGIN
Victimology = the scientific study of the extent, nature, and causes of (criminal) victimization,
its consequences for the individuals involved, and societal responses, particularly those of the
police, criminal justice system, as well as voluntary and welfare services (VWS)
(de wetenschappelijke studie naar de omvang, aard en oorzaken van (crimineel)
slachtofferschap, de gevolgen ervan voor de betrokken personen en de maatschappelijke
reacties daarop, met name die van de politie, het strafrechtelijk systeem en vrijwilligers- en
welzijnsdiensten (VWS))
• Often considered a subdiscipline:
Psychiatry, law, social work.
However, criminologists have the greatest influence in the development.
An essential component of offender studies within criminology, it has thus become
an integral part of criminological sciences.
2 strands victimology
• One based on research police criminal justice (criminal victimization)
, • Humanistic approach: support the victim
Becoming a victim of a violent crime
• General lifestyle theory
Chances of becoming a victim is dependent on what you do, how you behave to
others and where you go
We have ideas of who becomes a victim but it’s not the same as what actually happens
Until the 1940s
They thought the victim has a passive role
Why does someone commit a crime?
Leopold Szondi: genotropism (1930s).
Theory: Reciprocal attraction of the same/similar recessive genes influencing human
behavior (instinct)
Theory is not tested yet/ proven
Niet iedereen heeft een gelijke kans om slachtoffer te worden, sommige hebben
meer kans dan anderen
So the victim selection is not necessary at random
Ted Bundy (1946-1989): Confirmed 36 victims in the 1970s.
Ted Bundy (continued)
Victim Selection (he selected them):
A matter of opportunity
He claimed that he could identify a potential victim by the way she walks down the
street, the way she carries her head, her body language, etc.
- Selected his victims by sight
Research confirms that victims exhibit certain typical body language, especially
in the way they walk. Because of the trauma people react to that, emotionally
but also physically
Psychopaths are more accurate in recognizing potential victims
(Onderzoek bevestigt dat slachtoffers bepaalde typische lichaamstaal vertonen, vooral in de
manier waarop ze lopen + psychopaten herkennen potentiële slachtoffers nauwkeuriger (dan
niet-psychopaten))
First mention of ”victimology”
Mendelsohn, 1947: during the presentation of a paper.
We need to better understand the motivation to commit a crime
We never look at the victim when studying the crime, but it is also important
Considered the spiritual father of the victim movement.
Werthem (1949) also advocates for a "crime victim-centered" science.
Focused particularly on murder: How come people get murdered?
First systematic investigation into crime victims by von Hentig (1941, 1948)
"The Criminal and his Victim" BOEK (1948). Part 4: "The Victim's contribution to the
genesis of the crime."
Critique of the one-dimensional perspective within criminology.
How the victim contributes of the genesis of the crime: important!
First time someone is investigating how a victim contributes to his own victimization
"The law considers certain results and the final moves which lead to them. Here it makes a
clear-cut distinction between the one who does and the one who suffers. Looking into the
genesis of the situation, in a considerable number of cases, we meet a victim who consents
tacitly, cooperates, conspires, or provokes. The victim is one of the causative elements" (p.
436).
(Wat doen de slachtoffers? Hoe worden zij slachtoffers?)
, *Law: looks at the crime (activity) and the results
*The one who suffers (passive) and the one who does
*Victim: not always a passive
Sometimes a victim agreed to become one, helped the perpetrator, conspires, cooperate,….
NEW way of thinking!!!!!
Not neutral….
Bv phishing: als je niet op de link had geklikt zou je geen slachtoffer geworden zijn…
This has lead you to lock your bike, lock your door,… when you don’t: you consent,
cooperate or provoke,….
Number of theoretical studies from that time on:
On victim types, the relationship between victim and offender, and the role victims play in
certain criminal phenomena
Von Hentig might have a point they thought
They looked at what was documented, theories
+
Number of empirical studies:
Typical phenomena: murder, rape, theft, assault, fraud, extortion (afpersing),...
Martin Wolfgang: "victim precipitated criminal homicide" (1957).
Studied 588 murder cases between 1948-1952 in Philadelphia
- 26% VP (victim precipitation) cases where the victim was the first to engage in violence.
- Victim precipitation (1/4)
- Without the violence, perhaps they would not have been murdered
Menachem Amir: "Victim precipitated forcible rape" (1967).
One of the last research, because the subject is very
sensitive
Active contribution: accepting a drink from a stranger,
riding with a stranger. NO excuse for the
- Did something actively offender!!!!!!!
Passive contribution: not reacting strongly enough to Victim blaming…
sexual advances. Just wanted reasons
Examples: alcohol, "reputation," place of residence, meeting place,...
Feminists were not okay with this: never an excuse -> he also stated this, but they did not
agree
Victim precipitation or victim-blaming?
Especially in the 1970s, victim precipitation was increasingly seen as victim-blaming… a thin line
Moral values…
VP research has contributed to two major criminological theories:
Lifestyle theory (Hindelang et al., 1978)
What you do in your life has an influence
Bv: If you fight a lot, more chance to be part of a violent crime
Routine activities theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979)
Crime will occur when you have a motivated offender with a suitable target and
the absence of a guardian
At the core of these pioneers: victims of crimes (not people who fall from a ladder or something)
1950s-1960s: murder, robbery,… what about people who were suppressed with the colonial
system?
Also during the 1970s-1980s due to the emergence of professional assistance for crime victims.
70-80s: due to the emergence of professional assistance for
crime
Liberals: if you succeed: its bc of you, when you fail: also bc of you
Equality before everything
If you grab the opportunities (for all the same), you might have a decent job: well done! You did it
But some people start really low… it’s not equal -> being the master of your
, own… not really true
You need to lock your houses, you need to call the police, report to the police -> people are
responsible (victim precipitation)
1979: establishment of the World Society of Victimology (WSV): first time that academicians to
look at what is a victim etc
THE EVOLUTION
Gradual broadening during the 1970s of the research focus
Similarities with war victims, prisoners in camps, and certain types of aggression and
discrimination (Nazism, Apartheid).
Focus on how we define victims
Criminologists explore other crimes/phenomena: white-collar crime (Sutherland),
environmental crime,...
Who is the victim here, and what about perception? What are we studying? Is this stated in
the law?
Shift of the criminal code: more different criminals, not only the poor crime
Is there something as a victimless crime???
International trade, how you treat your staff,… -> start looking at different kind
of crimes and victims, also victimless crimes
Also within the WSV (World Society of Victimology), discussions about the research object of
victimology.
Difference between scientific victimologists and humanistic aid providers.
Purely positivistic: let’s keep it to a definition connected to crime, it’s easy
- You also need to operationalizing the things: the stricter the definition, the better
Division among victimologists: restrict to victims of crimes or include other victims?
Refer to the definition of victimology by the World Society of Victimology (WSV).
Prominent debate in the 1970s-1980s, but largely disappeared by the late 1990s-2000s
(see UN Declaration).
UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power (1985)
Global south: we agree: need to help victims of crime
But someone who was extorted by a colonial murders regime needs compensation as well,
so they wanted to be recognized as victims of Abuse of Power (by the Western states)
West: hell no, we need to compensate for our policies?
- They want only for the victims of crime…
Unanimously adopted in the General Assembly.
Objective: set minimum standards for states to meet in providing assistance to victims
(more humane approach)
(Doel: minimumnormen vaststellen waaraan staten moeten voldoen bij het verlenen van
bijstand aan slachtoffers.)
West: “okay, we are going to admit, minimum commitments as well for abuse of power”
Was a compromise.
Developed countries (western): victims of crime.
Developing countries (south): victims of abuse of power should have the same rights as the first
category.
In the end we collected both in the compromise; But much more provision for the first category
than for the second.
See: 11. Where public officials or other agents acting in an official or quasi-official capacity have
violated national criminal laws, the victims should receive restitution from the State whose
officials or agents were responsible for the harm inflicted. & 19. States should consider
incorporating into national law norms proscribing abuses of power and providing remedies to
