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Crime and Victim Surveys (From International Victimology, P 121-132, 1996, Chris Sumner, Mark Israel, et al., eds. - See NCJ-169474)

NCJ Number
169488
Author(s)
J J M van Dijk
Date Published
1996
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article presents an overview of the historical development and some of the findings of the two International Crime Surveys.
Abstract
The surveys explored victims' needs, attitudes towards sentencing and satisfaction with police work. The dataset of the Surveys offers unique possibilities to analyze characteristics and opinions of victims in an international context, analysis which will reveal which features of victims are cross-cultural and which reflect national or regional idiosyncrasies. The article concludes that the image of a vengeful victim is fallacious and victims are not unhappy with non-custodial alternatives in some situations. Acting out of informed self-interest, victims may be regarded as natural allies for governments who wish to sponsor improved situational and community-based crime prevention strategies. The article presents overall victimization rates for six global regions (the New World; Western Europe; ex-communist Europe; Asia; South America; and Africa). The paper also contains data on: attitudes towards sentencing; victims' satisfaction with the police; need of victim support; and implications for theory, research and policy. References