Volume 4 Number 1, March 2009
Tokyo: Seibundo Publishing Co., Ltd.
ISBN 978-4-7923-9190-4 C3032 Price 1,500yen
- The Nebulous but Far From Negligible Concept of Justice
- TONY J. W. TAYLOR
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand- Abstract
- The Trojan efforts of pioneers in restoring the rights of victims have to be commended. Were it not for their work, victims of crime would continue to languish on the fringe of legal proceedings, distressed, hurt and at a considerable disadvantage because of their adverse experience. Victims would be denied justice in every sense of the term. It follows that Justice is not simply a lofty concept with implications for the development of individuals and their communities towards the highest goals of human endeavor. Nor is it just the interpretation and application of common law and statute law that applies in specific jurisdictions. Nor is it just the delivery of compassionate support of all kinds after an emergency. Rather, justice is an inherent human need, the violation of which compounds the emotional, physical, and property loss that victims of crime suffer. The violation of justice also causes grievance among other people – such as those wrongly convicted, those punished too severely for their crimes, those punished by unjust laws, and criminals still burning with resentment about the injustice they had suffered as children at the hands of their parents and/or the staff of the institutions to whom the State had assigned them. The need for justice also spills over from the criminal domain into that of civil law, and of human rights. The proposition was first published in New Ideas in Psychology, expanded into a book with international contributors from a wide range of disciplines published by Nova Science, New York, and presented at a conference of the International Organization for Victim Assistance in Orlando, Florida (Taylor, 2003a; 2006). It should fortify victimologists, pure and applied, as they face continuing challenges to the causes they promote.
- Perception of Victim Vulnerability: A Comparison of University Students in India and Japan
- KUMARAVELU CHOCKALINGAM
Tokiwa International Victimology Institute, Tokiwa University, Mito, Japan
MURUGESAN SRINIVASAN
Department of Criminology, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai, India- Abstract
- The perception of victim vulnerability has a high probability of determining human behaviors, like fear of crime and restriction on spatial and temporal mobility. A survey of 725 students in Chennai (India) and 715 students in Mito (Japan) investigated the influence of socio-demographic and economic factors on the perception of vulnerability and how prior experience of victimization is associated with the perception of vulnerability. Results showed that the perception of victim vulnerability is linked with country-specific socio-demographic and economic factors, that prior experience of victimization does not influence the perception of victim vulnerability, that there is an association between perception of vulnerability and fear of crime, and that there is a significant difference in the cultural perception of vulnerability.
- Victims of Domestic Violence: A Comparative Study of Females in England and the United States of America
- JANICE JOSEPH
Criminal Justice Program, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, U.S.A- Abstract
- The study examined the nature of domestic violence among women in England and the United States. During 2003 and 2004, data were obtained from 290 respondents in England and of these 32% (n 90) were victims of domestic violence and 302 respondents in the United States of which 33% (n 101) were victims. The results indicated more frequent and severe abuse was higher among victims in the American sample compared with those in the English sample. The American victims were more likely than those in England to “fight-back” and to leave the batterer. The data also showed victims in England compared with those in the United States were significantly more likely to contact the police respectively, take the abuser to a criminal court, and to seek the services of a refuge/shelter. On the other hand, American victims in comparison to the English victims were more likely to seek a restraining order/non-molestation order.
- Fear of Crime (Type A) Revisited: Predicting Panic Disorder and Persistent Panic and Fear Symptoms Following Criminal Victimization
- FRANS W. WINKEL
International Victimology Institute, Tilburg University, The Netherlands- Abstract
- Internationally, fear of crime has been studied intensively, mainly from a policy-oriented criminological perspective. However, the validity of the common measures currently used is problematic. To enhance construct validity, various theory-driven victimological refinements are suggested, including disordered Type A and Type C fear of crime. These constructs provide a more sophisticated basis to inform and guide the development of victim-relevant policies. The focus of empirical analyses is restricted to Type A fear. From an applied perspective, findings highlight the clinical utility of panic-associated fear of crime as an indicator of victim needs for mental health support. Moreover, findings underscore the validity of the Scanner – a tool originally developed to assist police officers in making correct decisions about the active referral of reporters to support services – to also identify victims at risk of developing chronic Type A fear of crime, and the incremental validity of the TSQ (Trauma Screening Questionnaire) to predict this debilitating psychological condition.
- Perception of Victims of Violent Crimes Towards Police in Chennai (India)
- AROKIASAMY ENOCH
Department of Criminology, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai, India
SOLOMON R. PANDIAN
Graduate School of Victimology, Tokiwa University, Mito, Japan
MURUGESAN SRINIVASAN
Department of Criminology, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai, India- Abstract
- This study examines the factors influencing the perception of police by 187 victims of violent crime such as murder, dacoity, and robbery. Police are extremely important for victims of violent crimes. They are often the first agency that victims encounter following the incident and it often remains the link-agency to the victim throughout the criminal justice process. Understanding victim perception of the criminal justice system and the police could improve communication between victims and the police, raise awareness of crime, provide information on offenders, and help the development of new criminal justice initiatives. The findings disprove the assumption that socio-demographic and economic characteristics of victims of violent crime influence their perception of police. Rather, they reveal a negative relationship between the treatment of victims at the time of reporting and their perception towards police, and an insignificant relationship between treatment during investigation and perception of police.
- Victims in the Sentencing Process: South Australia’s Judges and Magistrates Give Their Verdict
- MICHAEL O’CONNELL
Commissioner for Victims’ Rights, South Australia, Australia- Abstract
- Should crime victims have more than a voice in court? Two or three decades ago this question would have provoked a strong emotional response on both sides of the debate. Today the question is more likely to be, should victims have a stronger voice in court? This paper reports on the results of a survey of the views of South Australia’s judges and magistrates on victim impact statements. Their perspective is important because many victims expect their impact statements to have an effect on the sentence, and those who believe that that effect has not materialized are more likely to be dissatisfied with the sentences judges and magistrates impose. The survey shows that victim impact statements do assist the courts but there is no strong indication among judges and magistrates in South Australia that giving victims a voice necessarily alters the structural position of the victim in the criminal justice system.
- The Needs of Homicide Survivors and Services Delivered in Japan: Assessing the Gaps
- MAIKO KOBAYASHI
Tokiwa University Postgraduate School in Victimology, Japan
JOHN P. J. DUSSICH
California State University, Fresno, USA, and Tokiwa International Victimology Institute, Tokiwa University, Japan- Abstract
- In line with political and legislative changes to create a more victim-oriented society in Japan, victim service programs have developed significantly over the past decade. However, previous studies indicate doubts as to whether ongoing services are meeting the needs of victims and surviving families. Our challenge was to reveal any gaps that exist between what victims/surviving families need and the actual services delivered by victim service agencies. To accomplish this task, two surveys were conducted: 1) a needs survey for homicide survivors; and, 2) an agency survey for service programs affiliated with the National Network for Victim Support in Japan. The results showed significant gaps between perceived needs and available services. Homicide survivors had substantial needs in emergency service, legal support/advocacy, daily life support, and assistance with the mass media. However, these services were not fully covered by victim service agencies which emphasized counseling-related services. Possible solutions to bridge this gap are discussed.
- Victim Services Curriculum Development
- BERNADETTE T. MUSCAT
Department of Criminology, California State University, Fresno, USA- Abstruct
- The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Law Enforcement and Victim Services Division (LEVSD) received a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in 2004 to create a California Victim Assistance Academy (CVAA). The CVAA is a 40-hour professional development program for direct victim service providers and allied professionals. To develop the CVAA curriculum, a needs assessment survey was developed and distributed to more than 2,000 victim service providers throughout California to determine the knowledge and skills-based needs of those working in victim services. This paper is based on the responses of a subsample of 98 self-identified victim services managers and its findings were essential in designing the CVAA curriculum. Surveying the field can be instrumental in guiding the creation of an academic course, or a complete victimology curriculum, for undergraduate and graduate students who intend to pursue careers in the criminal justice system, and professionals working with crime victims.
- A Pre-/Post-Disaster Epidemiological Study of Mental Health Functioning in Vietnam’s Da Nang Province Following Typhoon Xangsane
- RON ACIERNO, ANANDA B. AMSTADTER, DANIEL F. GROS, LISA RICHARDSON, DEAN G. KILPATRICK
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
TRINH LUONG TRAN
Health Department of Da Nang City
LAM TU TRUNG
Da Nang Mental Health Hospital
NGUYEN THANH TAM
Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
TRAN TUAN, LA THI BUOI, TRAN THU HA, TRAN DUC THACH
Research and Training Center for Community Development
ANNE SEYMOUR
Justice Solutions
MARIO T. GABOURY
University of New Haven and Oskar Schindler Humanities Foundation
SANDRO GALEA
University of Michigan, School of Public Health- Abstract
- In 2006, typhoon Xangsane struck Vietnam and disrupted a large-scale mental health needs analysis in the Da Nang province of Vietnam. Recruitment of new participants was halted, and the design of study was altered to that of a pre-/post-event investigation in which 798 of the original 4,982 participants were re-interviewed. This produced the first pre-post disaster epidemiological study. Specifically, risk and protective factors were evaluated with respect to probable mental health “caseness” on the bases of the World Health Organization Short Response Questionnaire (SRQ-20) 7/8 cutoff (i.e., scores of 8 or more). Caseness prevalence was 20.7% pre-disaster and 27.1% post-disaster. Specific risk factors associated with mental health caseness included poor health, extreme peri-disaster fear, and experienced injury. Religious affiliation appeared to be a protective factor. In contrast to US samples, gender was not predictive of outcome.
