Nature and Violence

Annmarie Griffin
Pod 5

The Relationship between Nature and Violence

There are conflicting views about whether or not a person is born deviant or made deviant due to the outside influences in their lives.  There are studies that show that both hypotheses can be true in the given circumstances they were studied in.

Some people are born without any genetic disposition to become violent.  If they grow up in an environment which is chaotic with lots of physical and emotional abuse they may become aggressive and violent later on into adulthood.   There is an old saying that you can become a product of your environment.  If this type of lifestyle is all they know they will generally mimic what they see as a child into their adult life. 

The diathesis stress model is one that stresses that individuals do exist being born with a genetic predisposition to violence.  They may or may not act out on this violent nature due to the environment in which they were raised.  “Research studies (Raine, 1993) have provided evidence of brain abnormalities contributing to aggression and possibly psychopathy, while other studies (Meloy, 1988; Raine, 1993) have been demonstrating a link between serotonin levels and aggression (Nelson, 2011).”  These studies do not concretely explain why someone can become violent but they do allow researchers to understand that there are both genetic and environmental factors that can lead to someone becoming deviant and violent.

 I think that these theories can both be contributing factors to criminal behavior.  We see juveniles today who are actively involved in a lifestyle of crime.  The environmental factors may have to do with poor parenting, bad home environments, and the general totality of the environment with which they are growing up in.  The biological factors may be what see as ADHD and other clinical disorders which may make someone hyper, aggressive and uncontrollable.  I believe that it is a combination of both factors which would steer a child into the criminal behavior in which they engage in.  This behavior if not corrected or modified will continue to foster itself into adulthood.

Meloy, J.R. (1988).  The psychopathic mind: Origins, dynamics, and treatment. Northvale, NJ: Aronson Inc.
Nelson, B. (2011).  Nature vs.Nurture. Deviant Crimes It Begins in the Mind: Retrieved April 8, 2012 from http://www.deviantcrimes.com/nature_nurture.htm
Raine, A. (1993).  The psychopathology of crime: Criminal behavior as a clinical disorder.  San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Victims Role in the Crimina Justice Process

Annmarie Griffin

Pod 4 Assignment

Victim’s Role in the Criminal Justice Process

Victims should be listened to with compassion and the criminal justice representatives need to be empathetic.  They need to let them know you can identify the feelings in what they are saying and reflect back on what they are saying so that they know you are listening and taking them seriously.  You are to ask open-ended questions so that the victim is able to respond in their own words.  Many crimes go unreported because victims do not want to be re-victimized in the criminal justice process.  Victims need to feel that they will be protected from any further harm or embarrassment while participating in the prosecution of the case.  Police are the first responders to these crimes.  They need to be trained to be able to handle the reporting of these crimes with care.  They cannot badger the victim by interrogating about the crime with a sense of disbelief.  They need to listen and ask questions without making the victim feel as if they did something wrong.  Police interaction with victims plays an important role in enabling public opinion on reporting crimes.  Negative interactions can lead to more crimes going un-reported and allowing perpetrators of such crimes to walk free with a sense of arrogance that leads to further injuries to others.  Departments need to better train officers to be sensitive to the victims plight.  They need to be able to direct the victim to the proper agencies for follow-up care and provide detailed information on the case so that the victim knows that their case is being handled seriously.

Victims need to feel empowered in the criminal justice process (National Victim Assistance Academy, 2005).  They should be included in the decisions of the case from the reporting of the incident on.  They should be able to see that they are playing an active role in the punishment phase (Karmen, 2010).  They should be able to use their stories as a way to “force change in the criminal justice system by compelling lawbreakers to undergo rehabilitation treatment (Karmen, 2010)”.  They should also be entitled to restitution from criminals. 

The process for allowing victims to retrieve their possessions used as evidence in a case needs to be changed.  It should not take forever for a victim to be made whole again.  They should not have to chase down their belongings after a case is processed and closed.  Communication between officials and victims needs to be handled better.  The victim’s role in the criminal justice process should not make them feel frustrated or even worse than they did after the initial crime process.  The lines of communication between officials and victims needs to be changed so that the victims are involved in the decision making process of the case.  This will allow a sense of closure for the victim and allow them to fully heal.  They must be able to use their voice and have a say in what they think would be fair and just punishment as a victim of crime.

References

Karmen, A. (2010). Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology. Belmont: Wadsworth.

National Victim Assistance Academy: Listen to My Story: Communicating With Victims of Crime (2005). Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Office for Victims of Crime. National Victim Assistance Academy. Listen to My Story: Communicating With Victims of Crime. NCJ 195655 - August 2005.

Victim facilitation, victim precipitation, and victim provocation

Annmarie Griffin

Pod 3 Journal Assignment

　

Victim facilitation, victim precipitation, and victim provocation

Victim Precipitation/Facilitation/Provocation- are terms used to describe a victims role in a crime.

Focuses on the prevalence of the victims involvement

Minimize victim blaming and enhance victim personal responsibility

Victim Facilitation was introduced in the writings of Marvin Wolfgang (E Notes 2012). This term is used in a way as to not blame the victim but to blame the interaction that the victim has that makes them susceptible to becoming a victim of crime. Victim facilitation allows for the study of the actions that make a victim vulnerable to being a victim of a crime. The text states that "victim facilitation ought to be reserved for situations in which victims carelessly and inadvertently make it easier for a thief to steal (Karmen, A., 2010)." Their negligence allows for certain crimes to be committed against them. They share a certain amount of blame. Through their thoughtlessness they increase their risks of becoming a victim. "Facilitation is similar to a catalyst in a chemical reaction that, given the right ingredients and conditions, speeds up the interaction (Karmen, A., 2010)." Auto theft and burglary are the two most notable crimes cited in studies of facilitation (Karmen, A., 2010). The text stated that a crime of facilitation may be when a person leaves a house door open and burglar walks in and steals their stuff. It went on to say these any crimes committed would be considered an illegal act of trespass by intruders seeking to commit thefts (Karmen, A., 2010)". If I left my door open it does not mean it is an invitation for someone to come in and steal my possessions. It was interesting to see that younger households in poorer neighborhoods with more residents were more prone to facilitation than their counterparts. I want to go to law school and this notion surprises me. I am unsure if it is in-fact the correct legal definition of the scenario depicted. I do not believe that anyone asks to be a victim of a crime. The notion that one would even blame the victim of a crime is astounding. It reminds me of movies and stories of the past where we have seen rape victims being re-victimized on the stand by being blamed for the act against them simply due to their style of dress or other behaviors.

Victim Precipitation/Provocation are ideas associated with victims of murder, robbery, assault, and rape. Precipitation is based upon the notion that the victim contributed to the acts against them. The text equates this to a person who attempts to rob a drug dealer and gets shot in the process (Karmen, A., 2010). This notion to me is plausible. It seems likely that if you are doing illegal things then you may place yourself in harm’s way to become a victim. If you were to commit and armed robbery with a toy gun and were shot and killed in the process it would be an example of precipitation. It does not justify the crime but makes sense in the realm of things.

"Provocation means that the loser is more responsible than the victor for the fight that ensued (Karmen, A., 2010)". It basically means that if you were to randomly attack someone and they defended themselves where you got more seriously hurt, then it would be your own fault. In my chosen profession this equates to a self-defense strategy for the person that hurt the other more seriously.

　

Karmen, A. (2010). Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Impact of Being a Victim

Tanicia Ann Goodwin was arrested this week in Salem, Ma.  She had slashed her two young children’s throats with a knife, doused the children in light fluid, and set the home on fire.  Salem firefighters responded to the apartment fire and found Tanicia’s eight year old son Jamal Goodwin lying the on the couch with his throat slashed from one end to the other.  The boy was having tough time breathing and his trachea was exposed.  Firefighters asked him if his mother had done this to him and he responded that she had. Goodwin has also slashed her 3 year old daughter Erica Goodwin’s neck.  Both children were transported to hospitals, treated for their injuries and are expected to survive.

            Upon inspection of the home the firefighters had noticed that the mother had taken great care to make sure that the children succumbed to their injuries and did not survive.  She had actually duct taped the sprinkler systems, removed the fire alarms and removed the door knob the apartment to prevent escape or rescue.  The mother involved in the incident confessed to police and is being charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and arson in connection with the incident, which is still under investigation.

            The victims in this case will face a long road to recovery.  Not only do they have to face the recovery from the physical wounds that their mother has inflicted upon them but they will have to recover from the emotional ones as well.  Dealing with the loss of their mother is also going to plague them.  They may have emotional scars that will take years to recover from.  They may be re-victimized by the process of having to testify against their mother.  The one person who was supposed to protect them from harm essentially has caused this tragic event and they have no one to turn to who can protect them in the parental role.  They may exhibit fear and anxiety during the up-coming criminal proceedings by having to testify and re-live the events of that night and see their mothers face as they testify against her.  The psychological distress they may endure may be exacerbated by not having reliable family/friend support to help throughout the recovery process.  These children will need to have the best support system around to help them get through this trauma.  There was no mention of other family members in the area or even a father in the picture so they may end up being wards of the state.  This is a very sad case because it will most certainly be hard to grow up in an environment without your parents.  The children may end up being separated.   They no longer have a place where they feel comfortable and safe and may retreat within themselves to try and cope.  There is hope that they will get the right support system and be able to recover from this tragic event so that the trauma does not plague them for a lifetime. 

Provost, T (2012) Mom held for Slashing Kid’s Throats/Arson Lynn Daily Item

INTERNET RESOURCES
The Mental Health Impact of Crime
Trauma Anonymous
Crisis, Grief, and Healing

Last updated: 06/19/03
Lecture List for Victimology
Instructor Home Page

Social Movements

Annmarie Griffin

Social Movements Essay

Social Movements that Led the Way for Vcitim's Rights

　

One of the social movements that have played a part in American society that help victims is the "Law and order Movement". This has overlapped with the legal standings and improved the treatment of victims. The criminal justice reformers have sought to have greater accountability for offenders by way of stricter sentences. Violent crime victims have become more outspoken and political figures have become aware of the public’s concern about crime and its repercussions. This has led to increased funding for aid to victims of crime and new legislation aimed at holding offenders wholly responsible for their actions.

"Donald E. Santarelli, Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) in 1974, was a lead reformer in the victims' rights movement (Clark, J.,1999-2012)". He became involved in the victim’s rights movement because due to research he found that criminal prosecutions of offenders usually fell apart due to the poor treatment of victims. As a result of his involvement victims were able to have a greater involvement in the prosecution of offenders and were referred to outside agencies for additional care and support.

In the 1970’s the Women’s Movement began to key in on victims of domestic and sexual assaults. The feminist movement changed the way these victims were viewed by society and the legal system. These offenses were no longer viewed as taboo or family matters. The first two rape crisis centers were opened in California and Washington, D. (Clark, J., 1999-2012).

The civil rights movement of the 1960’s addressed concerns over minority groups receiving fair and equal treatment. It has helped the victims to have the government understand and bestow criminal proceedings against perpetrators of hate crimes (Karmen, A., 2010).

　

INTERNET RESOURCES:
Theoretical Perspectives of Victimology

Clark, J (1999-2012) History of Victimology Retrieved March 17, 2012 from
http://www.ehow.com/about_5121928_history-victimology.html
Hentig, von, Hans (1948) The Criminal and His Victim. New Haven: Yale U. Press.
Karmen, A. (1992) Crime Victims. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.

Karmen, A. (2010). Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Mendelsohn, B. (1963) "The Origin of the Doctrine of Victimology" Excerpta Criminologica 3:30
Newman, O. (1972) Defensible Space. NY: Macmillan.
Schwartz, M. & V. Pitts (1995) "Exploring a Feminist Routine Activities Approach to Explaining Sexual Assault" Justice Quarterly 12: 1.





　

　

　

Victimology/Criminology

Victimology includes the study of victimization, victim- offender relationships, victim- criminal justice relationships, victims and media, victims and costs of crime and victims and social movements.    It is a subfield of criminology.  Criminology is a broad field of study that includes the study of law making, law breaking and societal reactions to law breaking.  Victimology is a part of the subfield, societal reactions to law breaking in the study of criminology.  Victimology does not have any subfields like criminology.  The subfields of criminology are penology, delinquency, c comparative criminology and victimology.  Victimology has been defined by Andrew Karen as "The scientific study of victimization, including the relationships between victims and offenders, the interactions between victims and the criminal justice system -- that is, the police and courts, and corrections officials -- and the connections between victims and other societal groups and institutions, such as the media, businesses, and social movements." 

Some of the major events in the history of victimology and helping people are the fact that it used to be just the study of crime from the viewpoint of the victim.  Today it encompasses the study of behaviors and vulnerabilities of victims.  The creation of typologies of victims was made.  These are labeled as the innocent, which is a person in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The depressive type is considered an easy, unsuspecting careless type.  The greedy type is often duped due by their motivation for gain.  The wanton type is vulnerable to stresses such as juvenile victims.  The tormentor is the victim of attack such as the battered women.  These typologies provided the foundation to analyze victim-precipitation. 

The four movements throughout history that paved the way for victim’s rights movements were:

• Civil Rights Movement (1936-72);
• Anti-war Movement (1967-72);
• Women’s Movement (1970-Present);
• "Law and Order" Movement (1968-Present).

In 1965 the first victim’s compensation program was established in California.
In 1972, volunteers founded the first three victim assistance programs:


Aid for Victims of Crime, St. Louis, Missouri
Bay Area Women Against Rape, San Francisco, California      
Rape Crisis Center, Washington, D.C.

During the 60’s and 70’s many state and federal commissions were established to study crime and its consequences and following that the federal government established the first national crime survey.  In 1974 the first battered women’s shelter was opened in Denver.

As the years have gone by and public awareness is at an all- time high the changes in governmental policy and programs provided to victims have increased tenfold.   The attitudes towards victims has change significantly where they are no longer viewed in a negative light and have the power to speak up on their own behalf without fear of ridicule and retribution.

Field Center

I was astounded to hear that America spends 30 billion dollars annually on trying to protect the rights of children and something happens like the death of Danielle Kelly. The fact that they say that this starvation was going on for months and months without anyone noticing is tragic. It is quite evident that local and state employees in that state clearly dropped the ball and should also be charged with neglect in this case. Case workers cannot be everywhere all the time but they must pay close attention to specific cases and make sure these types of abuses do not go unnoticed. I cannot believe that health officials also missed the opportunity to help this child. These agencies must be able to effectively communicate and work together to make sure atrocities such as this does not go unnoticed. I feel that the Field center is an effective organization used to promote the safety of America’s children. They are helping to form laws, rules and regulations as a team that would help to investigate these cases and move forward onto the aiding the healing process. They have taken the stance of prevention. They want to be able to work within the system to prevent atrocious child abuses before they happen and not just step in to treat the problem and repercussions. They are working together to reduce the number of children that are going into foster care and help to change the entire system and their approaches to child welfare. They have established a child advocacy center for children so that they are not faced with the uncomfortable and often traumatic experience of reliving their assault by multiple interviews. They have established a way to train judges on the critical issues related to child abuse cases so that they are able to make informed decisions about cases. They have established a medical clinic for abuse victims. They are currently developing hand held computer systems that would aid child workers in real time responses to abuse cases to save lives. They are in consultation with many states to make an impact on the systemic changes that need to take place in those locations that would aid abused children while training the next generation of child welfare leaders. It is through this type of multi-state collaboration that we will be able to implement successful changes within the child welfare programs to make sure everyone is up to date and on the same page about what works and what doesn’t. I have not been affected personally in my life by child abuse but when I did take a juvenile probation class I learned that a lot of kids in the juvenile probation system are themselves victims of child abuse. Often times we see that this type of behavior is passed along generation to generation. A victim of child abuse may grow up to abuse their own children if the right interventions are not in place to end the cycle. There needs to be an effort in place to provide the right training and man-power to recognize abuses early on. There also needs to a collaborative effort by clinicians, social workers, teachers and other people who have contact with children to have the proper training to be able to spot incidences of child abuse and neglect.