Profiles of Typical Victim Characteristics
Women
Women are victims of crimes ranging from domestic violence, rape, murder, assault, and robbery. Women are considered generally weaker than men and may attract crime perpetrators because of their inability to fight back and protect themselves (Orthmann & Hess, 2013).
Children
Children are often victims of incest, rape, murder, and assault and this is due to their defenseless nature that makes them vulnerable to criminals. Children, like women, are also not strong enough to fight off criminals, and this factor tends to attract perpetrators of crime (Hess, Orthman, & Cho, 2013).
The sick, mentally ill, disabled, and the elderly
Due to their weak nature that results from their being sick and their ages respectively, this category attracts its own fair share of criminal activity which may range from assault, robbery, rape, domestic violence. However, due to the fact that they are mainly confined to their homes or hospitals, this category tends to experience fewer criminal attacks in comparison with the younger and healthy persons who may be attacked while up and about in areas highly frequented by criminals (Karmen, 2009).
Men
With regard to violent crime, men are twice as likely to be victimized as women, and those most at risk are young men aged 16 to 24. They are also the victims of 83 percent of assaults by strangers, and of 59 percent of muggings.
Persons living in particular kinds of neighborhoods are also far more likely to be victimized than those living elsewhere. For instance, in relation to violent offenses, the victimization level reported by the people living in council estates characterized by low-income levels or/and multi-ethnic occupation is more than three times the level reported by those living in affluent suburban, rural, or retirement areas. In the case of burglaries, the rate of victimization reported by those living in areas of council housing experiencing the greatest hardship is nearly seven times as high as it is for those living in affluent rural communities. In general, it may be said that victims are likely to live in the same kind of impoverished communities as offenders are likely to be found in (McGrawhill.co.uk).
Victim Characteristics
Day 1
| Day 1 crimes | Name of Crime | Age | Race | Gender | Occupation | Ethnicity | Income Level | SES | Other |
| 1 | Child molestation | 11 | Arabic | Female | Student | Arabic | None | Low economic Status | |
| 2 | Murder | 36 | Latino | Female | Housewife | Latino | Low income level | Low economic status | |
| 3 | Sexual assault of 5 children | 9-15 | Black | Male | Students | African American | Low | Low | |
| 4 | Robbery of $460, 000 | 50 | Caucasian | Male | Casino and Bar Owner | Caucasian | High | High | |
| 5 | Murder | 43 | African American | Male | Factory Worker | African American | Middle | Middle |
Day 2
| Day 2 crimes | Name of Crime | Age | Race | Gender | Occupation | Ethnicity | Income Levels | SES | Other |
| 1 | Rape and murder | 21 | Caucasian | Female | Student | Caucasian | – | High | |
| 2 | Assault | 33 | African American | Female | Housewife | African American | – | Low | |
| 3 | Robbery and murder | 51 | Asian | Female | Trader in Jewelry | Asian | High | High | |
| 4 | Rape | 32 | Caucasian | Male | Banker | Caucasian | High | High |
Summary of the Profile Constructed from Media Viewing
The two profiles match to a large extent in that in the first step, the groups of persons who have been identified as likely victims of crime have been proven to be thus in the second stage. For some of the victims, they were hurt in the process of self-defense but they have hurt anyway and this made them victims of the criminal activities. Children and women were most affected and as stated earlier, this is due to the fact that they are considered weak and defenseless and the criminal is able to carry out their activities without much resistance but for a few weak slaps and punches in some parts of the body. Men, just as stated, were only involved in the very violent of crimes, and especially the younger men in their twenties. An explanation for this could be the fact that exerting violence on defenseless women, children and the elderly is somewhat uncalled for because as victims, they tend to cooperate and submit to their attackers thereby reducing the amount of violence applied. On the contrary, men are much more aggressive and may not give in to their attackers without a major fight, a factor that may lead to murder or severe cases of assault.
In addition to the above, persons living in less economically endowed areas received a larger portion of the criminal attacks as compared to those who lived in other areas that were more developed. This could be attributed to the fact that those living in impoverished neighborhoods are easier to access due to a lack of adequate security measures. The crime perpetrators also live in these less privileged neighborhoods and therefore, the contact with their victims is more guaranteed in comparison with those who live without the neighborhood.
A difference that has been noted is with regard to elderly persons. The numbers indicated do not show any attacks on elderly persons whatsoever. However, this should not be ruled out as the truth on the ground because the sampling was only done on a 48-hour span which may not be adequate to experience a lot of crimes. In the span of time covered, maybe no elderly person moved out of their house to take a walk and met with criminals, or none of the criminals thought of attacking an elderly person. Another explanation could be that there was an attack on an elderly person, but the news had not reached the newsroom of the chosen TV stations.
Summary And Conclusions: What You Learned From The Assignment?
From the assignment, I have learned that as much as it may seem unfortunate or beyond an individual’s power to prevent criminal acts against themselves, it is possible to prevent oneself from some types of criminal activities. It is the duty of every person to protect themselves from perpetrators of crime, and this has been described by way of the conservative tendency, whose focus mainly lies on street-level crimes (rape, murder, robbery, and assault, etc.). The theory assumes that all persons are personally responsible for themselves and must attempt to avoid, prevent and recover from any criminal acts that have been perpetrated on them. This ties heavily into the fact that an individual being is entirely responsible for defending themselves, their families, and their livelihood to every extent possible (Worell, 2001).
References
Karmen, A. (2009). Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology. Wadsworth Cengage Learning
Worell, J. (2001). Encyclopedia of Women and Gender, Two Volume Set: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. Academic Press
Victims, victimization, and victimology. Retrieved on 22nd March 2014 from http://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/openup/chapters/0335209807.pdf
Orthmann, C.H. & Hess, K.M. (2013). Criminal Investigation. Delmar Cengage Learning
Hess, K., Orthman, C. & Cho, H. (2013) Police Operations: Theory and Practice. Cengage Learning