Victims and The Criminal Justice system of England and Wales Essay

Victims and The Criminal Justice system of England and Wales - Essay Example Also ‘Everyone has a right to follow a course of action that others judge to be unwise or eccentric, including one which may lead to them being abused ’according to the document ‘Safeguarding Adults’( page 21). routine activity theory, this being also known as either opportunity theory or exposure theory and is described by David Garson on his web page ‘Routine Activity Theory’ Garson believes that victimization is because of exposure to risks, by which he means that more people place themselves in positions of risk obviously the more they increase their chance of becoming victims. The problem with such theories is that they place the responsibility for lessening risk on the victim alone, rather than placing any stress on the motivation of criminals or the responsibilities of law enforcement officials. Also some factors are beyond the person’s ability to change – females are more likely to be victims as are the poor and those who are obviously different - whether because of their skin colour, mental incapacity or religious beliefs. The Sociology 4099 lecture page speaks about social structure being a factor, the poorer section of society being more likely to be victimized, but the causes are seen as both economic and concerned with power – money speaks and the murder of children for instance, especially females , is described as socio-structural victimization. Although the police and social services will often offer some initial support, simply because they may be the first people involved outside a victim’s family, the majority of support available in England and Wales comes from Victim Support, a government aided charity as described on the You Gov web page ‘Victim Support in England and Wales’. The group offer confidential support, advice and give practical help with such things as replacing locks or making repairs. They also offer a witness support role whereby they do such things as accompanying a victim to the court, showing