Aspects of the Social Construction of Crime Victims in Australia

Abstract

Representations of victims embody the distinctive practices of organizations in and around criminal justice systems. In Australia, the origins of victims’ services are chiefly to be found in the activities of groups established to assist the families of homicide victims and the women victims of domestic violence and rape. The images of victimization engendered by those groups place a heavy emphasis on trauma, and the appropriate response is held to be counseling offered by specially trained practitioners. The outcome has been that the victims of volume crime such as theft, burglary, and malicious damage have been somewhat overlooked, blotted out, and left without substantial relief. To underscore the mediated nature of those representations, I shall conclude by describing a very different set of representations and attendant practices to be found in England and Wales, where victims are generally portrayed as those who have been affected by volume crime, and where services are provided by volunteers deemed not to require expert training in therapeutic support. The outcome should illuminate how very contingent are the policies, politics, and images of victimization.

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