Victim Precipitation Theory

Victim Precipitation Theory

Introduction

They say that thunder never strikes the same place twice. This statement is not true when it comes to the victims of crime. Research indicates that there is a tendency of people with specific characteristics to be more vulnerable to being crime victims than others. Victimology is the study of crime victims in an attempt to understand why certain people are more prone to being victims of crime than others. It is under criminology, which is the study of the crime itself. In the study of victimology, we examine the psychological effects of crimes on the victims, the link between victims and their offenders, as well as the interaction between victims and the justice system. Most of the theories in victimology explain why one is more likely to become a crime victim. One such theory is the Victim Precipitation Theory.

Victim Precipitation Theory

Victim Precipitation Theory states that the characteristics of the victim are the ones which at times, lead to the crime being committed to the victim. This is to means that in certain crimes committed to some people, they are the ones who initiate the confrontation that leads to the crime. As ironic as it might sound, the frequency of the theory manifesting is high, hence the need for further research on the subject. There are entirely innocent victims in crime, such as those that do not offer any precipitation to their offenders for a crime to be committed to them. There are also other victims who, in their mannerisms or inherent characteristics, entice an offender to commit crimes against them.

The majority of the victimization scenarios are created by lawyers who, in their work, have to understand how the victim contributed to the crime committed by the offender. These scenarios are very crucial when it comes to sentencing as they provide a considerate school of thought for the offender to ride on. The most critical issue in understanding and judgment of crime is the nature of the relationship between the offender and the victim. In a bid to explain the relationship, the role of the victim in the crime can be quickly established. This theory attempts to challenge the prevailing stereotypes of crime whereby offenders are generally viewed as bad while victims are taken to be innocent and virtuous. The assumption in question here is that there are many cases where the crime would have transpired even with no action from the victim. Using this same line of thought means that there are also many instances where the crime would not have occurred, if not for the actions of the victim. For this reason, the theory of victim precipitation should not be overlooked in the analysis of criminal cases.

Case Examples of Victim Precipitation Theory

In March of 2019, gunshots were heard in the residential neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City. When the police came, they found the lifeless body of Frank Cali in front of his home. Cali was considered by the authorities to be the leader of the Gambino Crime Family that had been in operation for decades. His killing even sparked speculations that a mob war could erupt any time after that. Cali was considered to have a very substantial connection to organized crime, hence speculation that the Mob might be behind his killing. Victim Precipitation Theory would suggest that Frank Cali’s actions might have put him in a position to be marked by the Mob and be executed. While the relationship between Cali and his assailant cannot be fully established as they had talked before his murder, investigations in the area could help solve the mystery.

John Sutcliff was a membership club owner who had a liking of seducing teenage boys. When he was caught, he was arrested and sentenced to jail for assaulting an underage boy. Later on, during his admission, John confessed to have been sexually active with more than 200 members of his club. It is a fetish he had picked up from his boy school. When John was released from prison, he developed more scientific approaches to lure teenage boys. In his research, he found out that boys without a father figure were more easily seduced than those without one. Using this information, he managed to single out as many as he could. He was nabbed finally by the police, and evidence was found linking him to seducing over four hundred boys. He was sentenced once more after one of his victims agreed to testify. Using Victim Precipitation Theory, we can see why John’s methods of seduction were so successful to the extent that victims were not ready to report. His case is a classic case of victimization, where drawing the line between the offender and the victim becomes hard.

In June 2020, Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by a police officer. In the video of the altercation, it shows that the officer in motion to handcuff Brooks for suspect of driving under the influence. Brooks resisted arrest by taking the officer’s teaser and firing it at him while running away. The officer then shot Brooks three times using his weapon, killing him instantly. The killing fueled repercussions that included a hotel establishment being burned down in the protests. The use of deadly force against Brooks was questioned as the protesters blamed the death on racism and police being extra violent. The big question for the officers to answer is whether Brooks presented an imminent serious physical injury to the officers. The possible charges facing the police are murder, manslaughter, or felony murder. Close examination of the case indicates that Victim Precipitation Theory could have played a part in the crime conducted. While Brooks’s actions seemed innocent to get away, the officer might have interpreted them in the wrong way. In whatever way, we look at it; the actions of the victim prompted the crime committed against them. Suffice to say the victim played a role in provoking the offender to action.

Conclusion

Victim Precipitation Theory shows that exhibiting specific attributes or actions in times of danger might affect the outcome of a scenario. There are people who, due to their environment and inherent characteristics, will be more likely to be victimized than others. Offenders also have a subconscious way of identifying their targets with a level of accuracy due to experience. It is therefore worthy to note that Victim Precipitation Theory is very useful in the discipline of criminology and its subject of victimology. While it is partly based on the assumption of victim-blaming, the theory provides an in-depth understanding of the role that victims play in crime. An understanding of such a degree can be utilized well in reducing victimization among the target groups.