Victims (CRIM90035)

This subject introduces students to the field of victimology. Victims have long had an ambiguous role in law. Liberal legal systems operate on the principle that crimes are committed against the state. However, victims are often required to narrate their victimisation to assist in the adjudication of guilt. This can have paradoxical effects for victims. Participating in legal proceedings can be cathartic for some, whereas for others it may be traumatic and re-victimising.

In this subject, students will be introduced to critical issues about the status of victims in criminal justice. The subject will examine

• the historical context of the inclusion of victims in formal legal processes;
• the rise of victims’ rights, and implications associated with this;
• questions about those who qualify as victims, and the ways in which practices of justice may exceed or extend beyond formal law; and
• the likely future status of victims in the context of recent scandals and crises.

Students will engage with a range of contemporary issues concerning victims in diverse case-studies, and will debate the possibilities and limitations of formal law in meeting victims’ complex needs.