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From Crime Policy to Victim Policy The Need for a Fundamental Policy change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

Ezzat A. Fattah
Ezzat A. Fattah*
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
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Summary

Recent years have witnessed great strides in applied victimology. During the 1980s legislation was passed, services were created, programs were set up, all aimed at helping crime victims and improving their unhappy lot. What is remarkable about these developments is the ease with which the legislative changes were introduced and approved. Not only was there no opposition but they were also not preceded by the usual impact studies to assess the effects they were likely to have on the CJS and the larger society. Even more surprising is that they were introduced in the absence of clear empirical avidence indicating that they do represent what crime victims really want.

The paper is an attempt to show that despite the fanfare with which the new measures were introduced, they have not tangibly improved the lot of crime victims. It claims that what is necessary to achieve this goal is a new criminal justice policy, a new pénal and sentencing philosophy that places the emphasis not on punishment and retaliation but on rearation, mediation and conciliation. In most instances these two sets of goals are functionally incompatible. Parallel to this change, there needs to be another fundamental change in the traditional views on crime. The offense should cease to be regarded as an affront to the State and be viewed as an offense against the individual victim, not as a violation of an abstract law but a violation of the rights of the victim.

Resume

RESUME

La victimologie appliquée a fait de grands progrès dans les années ‘80. L'auteur s‘étonne de la facilité avec laquelle les législations créant des services ou lançant des programmes en faveur des victimes ont été votées. Elles n'ont pas été précédées des habituelles études d'impact sur le système pénal et la société, ni de recherches empiriques sur les souhaits des. victimes.

Malgré la fanfare avec laquelle ces modifications ont été introduites, elles n'ont pas changé de façon tangible la situation des victimes de crimes. Ce qu'il faudrait pour atteindre cet objectif, c'est une nouvelle politique criminelle axée non sur la punition et les représailles, mais sur la réparation, la médiation et la conciliation. L'infraction ne devrait plus être vue comme un affront à l'Etat et à sa loi abstraite, mais comme une atteinte à une victime individuelle et à ses droits.

Resumen

RESUMEN

La victimología aplicada ha hecho grandes progresos en los años '80. El autor se asombra de la facilidad con la cual han sido votadas las legislaciones que han creado servicios y han lanzado programas en favor de las víctimas. Estas no se han visto precedidas de los habituales «estudios de impacto» sobre el sistema penal y la sociedad, ni de invistigaciones empíricas sobre las aspiraciones de las víctimas.

A pesar de publicidad con la cual estas modificaciones han sido introducidas, éstas no han cambiado de manera tangible la situatión de las víctimas de crímenes. Lo que se necesita para alcanzar este objetivo es de una nueva política en materia criminal, centrada no sobre la pena y las represalias, sino sobre la reparación, la mediatión y la conciliación. La infracción ne debería ser nunca más considerada como un atentado al estado y a su ley abstracta, sino que como un atentado a una víctima individual y a sus derechos.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Annals of Criminology , Volume 50 , Issue 1-2 , 2012 , pp. 115 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 International Society for Criminology

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Footnotes

*

International Workshop on Victimology and Victim's Rights Thammasat University - Bangkok, April 2-4, 1991.

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