Victims, Justice and the Law

This unit invites students to consider the victim in the criminal justice system and society more broadly. It examines the definition of victim, how we measure victimisation and introduces students to theoretical and at-times controversial concepts in victimology, including the ‘ideal victim’, victim blaming and victim precipitation. Using historical and contemporary case studies, the unit asks students to critically consider how and why the justice system, the media and the community respond to different victims, who qualifies as a victim, and the benefits and challenges of claiming victim status. Students will learn about the history of victim’s rights movements and victim-oriented reforms, and the complex political task of attending to the needs of victims whilst also resisting the lure of populism. The unit will explore the complex relationship between victimisation and offending and how the criminal justice system can amplify and even inflict harm. Alternative ways of achieving procedural justice for victims, for example restorative justice, are examined.