CJ 141

VICTIMS, CRIME AND JUSTICE

FALL 1999

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR IN-CLASS WRITIGN EXERCISE 10/22

updated: 10/14

NOTE. In getting ready for the in-class writing exercise, be sure to review all the memos that have been posted to the class web site. Some of these cover material reviewed in class, some are extra material that may not have not been covered in class. Go to http://blue.temple.edu/~ralph, go to CJ141, go to memos, and check out each of them. Be sure you are clear on what each one is talking about. Call me or write me if you want to discuss further.

NOTE. I am not promising to ask only these questions on the in-class exercise. There is a good chance that I could draw only on these questions. But there is a slight chance that I might be struck with an exciting new question, and want to put that on as well. For the in-class exercise, you will have a certain number of questions, and be asked to answer a certain number of them.

NOTE. I may be adding to this list over the next week or so, so check back. I will change update date, and will add new questions at the bottom, if I add.

QUESTIONS (in no particular order)

  1. Karmen talks about the process of discovering "new" crime victims. Explain what he means here Can you illustrate in specific ways how this discovery has happened EITHER for campus crime victims OR for stalking victims? In your discussion of the specific type of victim be sure to cover BOTH policy and research. In other words, what policy initiatives were put into place to address this problem, and what does research show about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of those policy initiatives?

  2. Explain as specifically as you can what the term "differential risk" means. Give an example of a specific risk factor for a specific type of victimization. What are the implications of the idea of differential risk for criminal justice practice. Be specific. If you can, tie your implication into the specific risk factor and type of victimization discussed.

  3. We spent a week talking about the economic impacts of crime victimization FOR VICTIMS. When "monetizing" economic impacts, we talked about tangible and intangible costs. Give ONE example of EACH.

  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of basing crime seriousness judgments on economic costs of the crime for the victims? Do you find this a valid approach to gauging crime seriousness?

  5. Karmen suggests that tendencies toward victim blaming arise from ideological tendencies in our society to emphasize personal responsibility. In class we talked about three different features of our "psychological wiring" -- the fundamental attribution error, hindsight bias, and the belief in a just world -- that perhaps contribute significantly to victim blaming. Define TWO of these three features, and provide a specific example.

  6. Define victim facilitation, victim provocation, and victim precipitation. Give an example of TWO of them. In what ways do these ideas provide insight into the dynamics of victimization incidents as they evolve?

  7. Describe two major psychological impacts of serious crime victimization. Explain how the buffering hypothesis can help mitigate these impacts. Give an example and be sure to define the buffering hypothesis.

  8. What is social support and what roles does it play in helping people cope with the psychological impacts of victimization?

  9. What are the psychological impacts of victimization? According to Janoff-Bulman and Frieze, how are these impacts related to how victims see the world, and themselves?

  10. What roles can social support play in altering the consequences of victimization?

  11. How does the "buffering hypothesis" help us understand who is more or less vulnerable to psychological consequences emerging from victimization?

  12. In what ways are "assumptive worlds" affected by victimization?

  13. Given what you know about the psychological and social consequences of victimization, do you think that should change how the criminal justice system treats victims? If so, how? Be specific.

  14. What is stalking, and what are the problems with how most state statutes have defined it?

  15. Given the discussion we had in class about stalking incidents reported by your classmates (see memo), what are your thoughts about the effectiveness of anti-stalking legislation?