VICTIMOLOGY IS CONCERNED WITH VICTIM-CENTERED AND VICTIM-RELATED INQUIRIES, IN CONTRAST TO THE CRIMINOLOGICAL FOCUS ON THE OFFENDER. THE SCOPE OF VICTIMIZATION ENCOMPASSES CONVENTIONAL CONCEPTS OF CRIMINAL LAW AND THE VICTIM AS WELL AS THE NEWER CONCEPT OF THE OFFENDER AS VICTIM. BY STUDYING INTERACTIONAL SITUATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH VICTIMIZATION AND BY ANALYZING THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF VICTIMIZATION, IT IS POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN DATA OF USE IN ITS PREVENTION. INTERACTIONAL ANALYSIS IS USED TO CLASSIFY VICTIM-OFFENDER TYPES, SUCH AS THE IGNORANT VICTIM-INTELLIGENT OFFENDER SITUATION (E.G., THE CONFIDENCE OPERATION), THE PASSIVE VICTIM-AGGRESSIVE OFFENDER SITUATION, THE SITUATION IN WHICH THE VICTIM IS THE OFFENDER (E.G., 'VICTIMLESS' CRIMES), AND SITUATIONS IN WHICH INSTITUTIONS ARE THE VICTIMS. THE ELIMINATION OF CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION IS DISCUSSED AS AN APPROACH TO VICTIMIZATION PREVENTION. GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VICTIM COMPENSATION PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED. A CHAPTER TEST AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.