Crime and Justice Studies Class Visit: Victims and Survivors of Crime

In recent years, public attention to victims of crime has grown enormously. The reasons for this are complex. They include the effects of political organizing by crime victims; increased media attention to crime (often driven by crime stories as entertainment and advertising vehicles); the exploitation of crime victims by politicians; and long-standing community frustrations with the criminal legal system. This course examines the rise of public attention to crime, the variety of social movements addressing victims of crime, the response of the criminal justice system to victims, and the problems and possibilities regarding new developments concerning crime victims. The course takes the perspective of critical victimology in that the course materials question official definitions of crime, popular definitions of victims and offenders, and traditional beliefs about justice. Rather than seeing victims and offenders as entirely separate categories, a number of the books address individuals who are both victims and offenders. New developments in 'restorative justice' will be presented as an emerging alternative to current problems that victims have reported with the criminal legal system.