The Efficacy of Victim Services Programs

Sims, Barbara; Yost, Berwood; Abbott, Christina

doi:10.1177/0887403406290656

Cited by 18 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

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“…However, victims of these types of crimes are not always treated with the same level of sympathy as violent crime victims (Bond and Hajjar 2013). According to Sims, Yost and Abbott (2006), there is no doubt that experiencing a crime can have a debilitating impact on individuals. Although it would seem that victims of a violent crime would suffer more, both physically and mentally, than would a victim of a non-violent crime, evidence suggests that victims of some non-violent crimes do suffer.…”

Section: Property Crime Victimisation and The Fear Of Crimementioning

confidence: 99%

A Case Study of Non-Violent Property Crime Victimisation in a South African Urban Residential Neighbourhood: Exploring the Excessive Use of Force and Destruction Caused by Burglars to Gain Entry to Victims’ Properties

Graan

2021

Int. J. Criminol. Sociol.

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Commentators frequently report on the high prevalence of violent crime in South Africa and often label the country as one of the most violent in the world, with a subculture of violence and criminality. This paper focuses on a different perspective, reporting on the excessive use of force and destruction caused by offenders in South Africa to gain entry to victims' properties in the execution of non-violent property crimes, in a particular residential burglary. Literature on property crimes has been considering the aggravating circumstances of violent property crimes. However, the use of excessive force and destruction caused by burglars to gain access to victims' properties in the execution of residential burglary remains relatively untested in the literature. In this light, the purpose of this study is to describe the unprecedented levels of force used and destruction caused by burglars to gain access to victims' properties during residential burglary victimisation in an urban residential neighbourhood in Johannesburg, South Africa. A qualitative research approach is followed. A case study design was used to select an urban residential neighbourhood in Johannesburg as a case study. A data set of (n = 1 431) crimes were purposively selected by means of non-probability sampling. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. This paper offers valuable insight into the forceful and destructive conduct of burglars in the selected neighbourhood and contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an improved understanding of target hardening as a preventive measure against residential burglary victimisation as well as on methods of entry used by burglars in incidents of residential burglary. The results of reported non-violent property crime victimisation incidences by this community's neighbourhood watch scheme suggest that residential burglars in the selected neighbourhood are uncharacteristically forceful and ravage in their actions since they frequently revert to extreme use of force and destruction, disproportionate to the crime perpetrated. It is concluded that this radical degree of force used and destruction caused by residential burglars to gain entry to victims' properties in the execution of non-violent property crimes is not typically associated with residential burglary as compared to countries internationally.

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Section: Property Crime Victimisation and The Fear Of Crimementioning

confidence: 99%

A Case Study of Non-Violent Property Crime Victimisation in a South African Urban Residential Neighbourhood: Exploring the Excessive Use of Force and Destruction Caused by Burglars to Gain Entry to Victims’ Properties

Graan

2021

Int. J. Criminol. Sociol.

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Victim Advocacy

Gibbs¹

2013

The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice

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Victim Services

Méndez

2019

The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime

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During the twentieth century, governments found a need to formalize victim services and provide access to victim justice and general assistance. Encompassing a vast array of assistance, victim services can range from monetary compensation to counseling and law enforcement involvement. The depth of the services depends on the geography, funding, and expertise of the agencies offering the services. International differences in the acceptance of definitions of crime and victimization limit formal victim services to those crimes recognized by governments or governing bodies, making it necessary for the continuation of informal victim services.

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The Efficacy of Victim Services Programs

Cited by 18 publications

References 17 publications

A Case Study of Non-Violent Property Crime Victimisation in a South African Urban Residential Neighbourhood: Exploring the Excessive Use of Force and Destruction Caused by Burglars to Gain Entry to Victims’ Properties

A Case Study of Non-Violent Property Crime Victimisation in a South African Urban Residential Neighbourhood: Exploring the Excessive Use of Force and Destruction Caused by Burglars to Gain Entry to Victims’ Properties

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