A Defence Against Misapprehensions Of Victimology

Ishaan Deepak Joshi, MIT-WPU, Faculty of Law

ABSTRACT

The field of victimology emerged as a discipline in social science in the course of the 1940s, coinciding with a notable shift in scholarly attention towards victims as a means to enhance comprehension of criminal behaviour. The initial scholars in the field of victimology directed their attention towards examining the involvement of victims in criminal incidents, leading to the formulation of the notion that certain victims may actively contribute to or incite their own victimisation. In recent decades, there has been a significant expansion in the field of victimology, primarily driven by advancements in the quantification of victimisation, the criminal justice system's approach to victims, and the increased focus on victim trauma and support services. The examination of victimisation has been broadened as a result of the contributions made by various scholars who have developed a range of theoretical frameworks aimed at enhancing our comprehension of the factors that contribute to differential rates of victimisation among individuals and groups. Nevertheless, these theories have faced criticism due to the perception that they attribute blame to victims for their own victimisation. The aforementioned theories have been subject to frequent criticism due to their tendency to assign blame to the victims. These hypotheses include the Victim Precipitation Theory, the Lifestyle theory, the Routine activities theories, as well as the Deviant Place Theory. This article provides a proper summary of various theories.