WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION

Running head: WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Introduction
The assignment aims to provide credible solution to the question as to what are the
effects of criminal victimization in the Canadian context. Victimization refers to the crime of
victimizing someone by committing a crime against that person. According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics for the United States, victimization is “a crime as it affects one individual
person or household” (Bjs.gov). Thus, victimization is a crime that has to be tackled as it is one
of the biggest issues faced by the law enforcement. In the Canadian context, criminal
victimization has been an issue that has seen a steep rise in the past few years. It has a serious
affect on the wellbeing of the victims and their friends and families as well as the entire
community and society.
The essay will first define and describe criminal victimization elaborately followed by the
effects of criminal victimization and the theories to tackle the crime. The theories that will be
used to explain criminal victimization and tackle it are the social structure theory and the
individual trait theory of crime. The social structure theory helps understand any crime from an
integrated perspective while individual trait theory relates to the personality of the criminal.
Discussion
Criminal victimization
Criminal victimization has been understood in Canada from the experiences of people
facing victimization. The General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization conducted by Statistics
Canada revealed different definitions of criminal victimization. Three categories of criminal
victimization have been found with several sub-categories – violent victimization, theft of
personal property and household victimization ("Criminal Victimization In Canada, 2014").

2
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Violent victimization refers to crimes like robbery, sexual assault or physical assault. Theft of
personal property like credit, cards, jewelry, clothing and such are crimes where the offender and
victim do not confront each other unlike robbery. Household victimization includes crimes like
breaking and entering, theft of motor vehicles of its parts, vandalism and theft of household
property. Breaking and entering is a crime where the criminal victimizes an individual by
entering illegally in a residence or any other building. Vandalism on the other hand refers to the
“willful damage of personal or household property” ("Criminal Victimization In Canada, 2014").
A look at the current statistics on crime in Canada reveals that criminal victimization has
increased quite remarkably in the past few years. According to the Crime Severity Index (CSI),
police-reported crime has seen an increase of 2% in 2018 to 75 from 73.6 in 2017. However, the
index has been lower in 2018 if compared to the 2008 index by 17%. Out of the 73.6%, criminal
victimization of all categories has been the highest. Sexual assault increased by 15% while
crimes relating to fraud have witnessed an increase of 13% in 2018 ("Police-Reported Crime
Statistics In Canada, 2018"). Shoplifting and theft of under and over 5000 dollars increased by
15% respectively as well. However, there has been a decline of 1% in the breaking and entering
rate amongst offences of other kinds. This somehow mitigated the severity of police-reported
crime in Canada. In contrast to these statistics, the 2014 data showed that there was a remarkable
decrease in criminal victimization as reported by the Canadian people. The rate of violent
victimization in 2014 had decreased to less than 70% owing to the decline in offences involving
sexual assault, physical assault and other such cases.
Effects of criminal victimization

3
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Criminal victimization could affect an individual or group of individuals in many ways
that could even be fatal. Physical injury, property damage, financial loss along with emotional
and psychological after-effects is some of the effects of criminal victimization. According to
some criminologists and psychologists, emotional impact of criminal victimization is more
damaging than the physical effects. The emotional affect stays with the victim even months after
the crime is committed. The victim could either feel fearful, angry or devastated. Sometimes
victims could be furious at themselves for being unable to be aware and alert to avoid the crime
being committed. In addition to that, the victims start to hate everyone who is associated with the
offender in any terms including gender, race, age or occupation. The victim becomes fearful of
visiting the place that resembles the place where the crime had taken place. As R. Barry Ruback,
Valerie A. Clark, and Cody Warner note, victims often find themselves as blameworthy for
being victimized by being at the wrong place and at the wrong time. They also feel guilty when a
situation comes when they managed to escape while a close one could not survive. The victims
of sexual harassment have the added trauma of humiliation and shame. Such a situation might
lead them to indulge in unsafe behavior often leading to self-harm.
The psychological impact of victimization includes disorganized behavior demonstrated
by the victim especially after the initial shock. The victim might have distressing feelings about
the incident and might face trouble in sleeping. They might indulge in substance abuse as a
surviving mechanism and cause social withdrawal. In extreme cases, the victims might even
suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This could invariably lead to the social effects
of criminal victimization. In most times, the victims often are blamed and shamed for the crime
that was done against them. They face social isolation, avoidance, and other secondary impacts
owing to the daily interactions they have to be in in their daily lives. This happens because the

4
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
interactions with people could further victimize them as people might make insensitive
comments against them. In addition, the victims might be avoided or completely isolated by their
peers and not receiving any help, which might further increase the struggle of the victim.
In the context of Canada, all these above mentioned effects are experienced by the
victims who have suffered criminal victimization. As per the GSS report, 28% of victims facing
violent crimes have suffered injuries resulting in disabilities of various kinds
(Victimsweek.gc.ca). Apart from physical injury, criminal victimization also leads to
psychological and mental issues. It has been found in a survey that almost half of the victims of
criminal victimization are likely to report sleeping problems. The female victims have reported a
higher rate of sleeping problems after criminal victimization compared to their male
counterparts.
Theories to tackle criminal victimization
Social structure
The social structure is important in understanding the crime taking place in the society.
As Ronald Akers notes, “understanding crime from an integrated perspective requires an
understanding of the social structure that surrounds both criminal and victims”. The social
structure or context also forms both the motivation of the offender and risk-taking of the victim.
Several theories come under the social structure theory including strain theory, social
disorganization theory and culture conflict theory. Amongst these, the social disorganization and
strain theory provide a good description of why criminal victimization occurs. Robert J.
Sampson holds that with the social disorganization theory, it is clear to understand that the lack
of social capital is amongst the prominent features of socially disorganized communities thus

5
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
also leading to increasing crimes. The formulators of the theory, Shaw and McKay claimed that
societies that are high in infant mortality, child abuse, low birth weight and such other problems
are also high in crime and delinquency rates (Sampson). The social disorganization theory
directly associates the crime rates to neighborhood ecological characteristics. For instance, the
youths coming from a disadvantaged neighborhood take part in a subculture that endorses
delinquency and hence attain criminality in the cultural and social setting. Looking at the crime
rates in one of Canada’s most important city, Toronto from the social disorganization
perspective, it could be seen that most of the crimes have been committed in regions with the
lowest individual incomes (Www150.statcan.gc.ca). The areas where the citizens earn higher
incomes, the crime rates have been found to be the lowest. Therefore, one of the effective ways
to deal with criminal victimization is to ensure that every city and every locality in the country
has adequate job opportunities. In addition, the administration must also make sure that the
residents are given all the facilities and they are devoid of illness or poverty. This would
encourage the youths to stay and focus on development and job.
The strain theory on the other argues that criminal victimization takes place because of
some strains or stressors that increase the probability of crime. Such strains could further give
rise to negative emotions like anger and frustration. These negative emotions then create pressure
for remedial action and crime becomes one probable response. Robert Agnew while explaining
the reasons for crimes in the Asian society sheds light on strain theory and states that the strain
theory should also take into account the strains that occur in Asian societies that are mostly
collectivist (Agnew). In Canada, family structure, unemployment, families-at-risk, school
dropouts, and substance use are some strains that cause the youth to commit crimes
(Publicsafety.gc.ca). In order to stop the youths from committing crimes, it is crucial for the

6
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Canadian government to make sure that there are sufficient job opportunities, monitoring of
children coming from a disturbed family, restrict access to substance abuse and provide growth
opportunities to school dropouts.
Trait theory
The trait theory of crime, as the name suggests, claims that certain traits in the personality
could prompt one to indulge in criminal activities. According to Jamie L. Flexon, Ryan C.
Meldrum, Jacob T. N. Young and Peter S. Lehmamm, “low-self control independently predicts
criminal offending”. They further argue that those with Dark Triad personality traits are also
more likely to indulge in criminal behavior and substance abuse. This shows that personality
traits also lead to criminal victimization (Flexon et al.). The trait theory is rooted in the
assumptions of Cesare Lombroso who asserted that “criminals are throwback to a more
primality, both physically and mentally”. Lombroso was an Italian psychiatrist and physician
whose work on criminality has been discredited because it assumed that some people are
criminals from birth. However, one could not deny the fact that trait theory in criminal studies
have helped in understanding the psychology of the criminals. The trait theory has helped in
explaining the reasons behind criminal victimization. According to the theory, several factors
determine the personality of an individual. In many studies, it has been found that criminals
possess lower IQ than the non-offenders. However, James Freeman argues that such an
assumption is baseless because many criminals have high IQs and yet they commit the most
heinous crimes involving in criminal victimization. In the case of Canada, 660 cases of
homicides have been registered in 2017 that was 48 more than the year earlier
(Www150.statcan.gc.ca). The figures are important because most cases of homicides are carried
out by individuals. To tackle the crime, it is important that the government collaborates with

7
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
psychologists and criminologists to understand the psychology that works behind the minds of
the criminals. Understanding their individual traits will help the law enforcers to understand the
patterns of their crimes and thus reduce criminal victimization.
Conclusion
Therefore, as it could evident from the discussion above, criminal victimization affects
the victims as well as the society in different ways. The purpose of the assignment was to
provide credible solution to the question as to what are the effects of criminal victimization in the
Canadian context. It found that victimization refers to the crime of victimizing someone by
committing a crime against that person. It then discussed the effects of criminal victimization on
the people and the society. It was revealed that criminal victimization could affect an individual
or group of individuals in many ways that could even be fatal. Physical injury, property damage,
financial loss along with emotional and psychological after-effects is some of the effects of
criminal victimization. Several strategies have been suggested in the assignment using the social
disorganization theory, the strain theory and the trait theory to tackle the menace of criminal
victimization.

8
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Works cited:
"Criminal Victimization In Canada, 2014". Www150.Statcan.Gc.Ca, 2019,
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14241-eng.htm#a2.
"Police-Reported Crime Statistics In Canada, 2018". Www150.Statcan.Gc.Ca, 2019,
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2019001/article/00013-eng.htm.
Agnew, Robert. "Using general strain theory to explain crime in Asian societies." Asian Journal
of Criminology 10.2 (2015): 131-147.
Akers, Ronald. Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance.
Routledge, 2017.
Bjs.gov. "Criminal Victimization In The United States - Definitions". Bjs.Gov, 2019,
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/html/cvus/definitions.cfm.
Flexon, Jamie L., et al. "Low self-control and the Dark Triad: Disentangling the predictive power
of personality traits on young adult substance use, offending and victimization." Journal
of Criminal Justice 46 (2016): 159-169.
Freeman, James. "The relationship between lower intelligence, crime and custodial outcomes: a
brief literary review of a vulnerable group." Vulnerable Groups & Inclusion 3.1 (2012):
14834.
Publicsafety.gc.ca. "A Statistical Snapshot Of Youth At Risk And Youth Offending In Canada".
Publicsafety.Gc.Ca, 2019, https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ststclsnpsht-
yth/index-en.aspx.

9
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION
Ruback, R. Barry, Valerie A. Clark, and Cody Warner. "Why are crime victims at risk of being
victimized again? Substance use, depression, and offending as mediators of the
victimization–revictimization link." Journal of interpersonal violence 29.1 (2014): 157-
185.
Sampson, Robert J. "Family management and child development: Insights from social
disorganization theory." Facts, frameworks, and forecasts. Routledge, 2017. 63-94.
Victimsweek.gc.ca. "The Impacts And Consequences Of Criminal Victimization - National
Victims Of Crime Awareness Week". Victimsweek.Gc.Ca, 2019,
https://www.victimsweek.gc.ca/res/r53.html.
Www150.statcan.gc.ca. "Neighbourhood Characteristics And The Distribution Of Police-
Reportedcrime In The City Of Toronto: Main Article". Www150.Statcan.Gc.Ca, 2019,
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-561-m/2009018/part-partie1-eng.htm.