Criminology Mindtap Chp 3

Regarding victimization, what does Ms. Kerai's experience reveal?

Victimization as a result of crime can impact those who they themselves were not personally victimized.

At a large high school, 32 students have been victimized during the fall semester, between September and mid-December. This represents a 75 percent increase over victimization rates from the previous fall semester. The school is located in a working class neighborhood of a large city. Only four of the reported incidents occurred on school grounds. Let's review a few concepts before you make a decision about this scene. Due to a bus breakdown, a schoolchild is forced to walk alone through a typically safe neighborhood to get home. The student falls prey to delinquents, who target him because he is wearing an expensive watch. This instance of victimization is best explained by ________.

passive precipitation

Which of the following disorders could afflict a survivor of gun violence, resulting in depression and anxiety?

posttraumatic stress disorder

Which of the following, on its own, can likely serve to reduce the chances for victimization in a public space, as outlined by routine activities theory?

the presence of uniformed law enforcement officers

Under the concept of deviant place theory, victimization primarily occurs as the result of:

An individual being in a high-risk location

In this video, Sara Kerai, a bereavement counselor, shares her experiences with gun violence and speaks of why she advocates against it. Her husband survived the 2013 Washington Navy Yard shooting, which claimed the lives of 13 people including the shooter. What motivated Ms. Kerai to become involved in advocating against gun violence?

Her experience as a result of her husband being present at a mass shooting.

Over the past semester, only a few students have been victimized on school grounds, amounting to less than a fifth of the total victimized. It would appear that the problem rests not with the school or within its gates, but with the community. To eradicate it, efforts must be made not only by the school, but by parents and law enforcement also. Some parents and school administrators view this idea with suspicion. They argue that the after-school programs and victimization programs already offered, which are highly lauded in the state, should be revised. Due to the success of the programs in the past, it is believed that they should still be the primary method in decreasing victimization rates of students. Let's review a few more concepts before you make another decision about this scene. In which of the following scenarios would an innocent be at greatest risk for victimization, under deviant place theory?

A young female in expensive clothing accidentally exits a bus in a crime-ridden neighborhood.

In investigating the situation further, you discover several important factors. It is true that the crime rates in the working class neighborhood where the school is located are higher than the average crime rates of the city as a whole. However, victimization rates of students attending the school have been stable and fairly low for years. This has mainly been attributed to the after-school programs and victimization workshops offered by the school, which are well funded and have the support of many parties, including local police. Only over the past semester have victimization rates increased significantly. What is disconcerting is that, over the past year, a new synthetic marijuana has appeared on the market. In this community, the market is controlled by a small gang, which happened to emerge in the neighborhood where the school is located. Its emergence and the increase in victimization rates seem to be correlated. Based on this new information, do you still believe that victimization rates have soared to a point where the school can no longer effectively respond on its own and, because of this, must reach out to local law enforcement?

Yes. Despite the existence of highly regarded after-school programs and repeated instances of alerting students to threats and ways to avoid them, victimization rates have soared to a point where the school can no longer effectively respond on its own. Because of this, the school must reach out to local law enforcement.

School administrators and parents have voiced concern over this victimization of children and are determined to address it. As a criminologist professor at a local university, you have been called in to offer your opinion and to develop a plan to address this problem. The school principal has asked for your preliminary opinion on the matter and if there is anything the school can do to rectify it—specifically, by offering more after-school programs and educational seminars to keep children off the streets and keep them safe. Based on what you know, how do you respond?

You argue that the school can only do so much, since the overwhelming majority of victimization cases occur outside of the school. You believe that the school should encourage parents to take greater responsibility in solving the problem, while also reaching out to law enforcement.

Ms. Kerai arguably experienced what feeling after receiving the phone call from her husband?

fear

What is the focus of Ms. Kerai's volunteer work?

helping survivors of gun violence resolve issues of anxiety and stress