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[Index]
Victim Categories in Pedophiliac Crimes
Many leading investigators of victimology have formulated victim
typologies of various kinds (Hentig, 1948; Sellin and Wolfgang, 1964;
Fattah, 1967; Schafer, 1968), which have been evaluated and summarized
by Silverman (1974).
Of these typologies, that of Fattah (1967) is, perhaps, the most
suitable for describing pedophiliac crimes. There are five main
categories:
- Non-participating victims - this type has two distinguishing
features: (a) an attitude of denial or repulsion toward the offence
and the offender and (b) no contribution to the origin of the offence.
- Latent or predisposed victims - the term latent victim is used
to designate people who, because of peculiar predispositions or traits
of character, are more liable than others to be victims of certain
types of offences. They are also more likely to be victims of the same
type of offence more than once.
- Provocative victims - the provocative victim plays a definite role in the
aetiology of crime, either by inciting the criminal to commit it or by
creating or fostering a situation likely to lead to crime. This type of
victim can be said to " provoke " the crime by his own actions. [page 123]
- Participating victims - provocative victims play an important
part in the origin of the crime and in setting off the criminal
process. Participating victims, on the other hand, play their part
while a crime is being committed, either by adopting a passive
attitude or by making the crime possible or even easier, or else by
assisting the criminal.
- False victims - the false victim is someone who is not really the
victim of a crime committed by another person. He may not be a victim
at all or he may be a victim of his own actions.