Victims and Crime Evaluations

During most crimes that are committed there is always a victim. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey the word victim means, any individual against whom an offense has been committed (Dolatowski, Hall, & Schmalleger, 10). Crimes are committed against all types of people. However, males, the poor, members of racial minorities, and young adults are more likely to be victimized than others (Dolatowski, Hall, & Schmalleger, 10). Victims of crime may experience many hardships to assist victims many states have implemented victim assistance programs. Crime affects the victim the most. However, society and the criminal justice are sometimes affected in one way or another. Therefore, one form of sentencing that helps victims and society with the financial loss of a crime is restitution by the offender.

In the early ages victims of crime were able to hunt down the offender and exact revenge on those that victimized them. In the later years the criminal justice system would punish the offenders who commit criminal acts. However, victims of crime were often forgotten. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that legislation started to assist victims of crime.

In 1965, California passed the first American legislation intended to assist victims of crime. Many states then joined the victims’ compensation bandwagon, and today all 50 states and the district of Colombia have passed legislation providing for monetary payments to crime victims-although legislatures have rarely funded programs at levels that would pay all requests (Dolatowski, Hall, & Schmalleger, 10).

Males, the poor, members of racial minorities, and young adults are more likely to be victimized than others. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, males experienced higher rates of victimization than females (Dolatowski, Hall, & Schmalleger, 10). Poor and minority neighborhoods seem to have higher crime rates. Therefore, more people are victimized in these neighborhoods.

Many sociologists point out that crime rates tend to correlate with both poverty and high unemployment. Many commentators say blacks and other minorities are more often involved in crime--both as victims and perpetrators--because of certain social disadvantages that disproportionately affect minorities. Blacks commit more crimes, analysts say, because they have fewer legitimate economic opportunities available to them than whites do. Compared with whites, they point out, a disproportionate number of blacks live in depressed inner city neighborhoods, where unemployment is high, poverty is common and schools tend to be under-funded (Crime and Race).

Victims of crime experience many hardships. To assist victims many states have implemented victim assistance programs. Two large non-profit organizations that assists victims nation