Marilyn Rosado Victimology and Victimization OS 3/21/2025

Multiple-Choice Questions
1. What is the central focus of victimology?​
a) The psychological profile of offenders​
b) The effects of crime on victims​
c) The analysis of law enforcement procedures​
d) The sociology of criminal justice systems
2. Which of the following is NOT generally considered a "victim" in the study of
victimology?​
a) Individuals directly harmed by criminal acts​
b) Individuals indirectly impacted by crime​
c) Criminal justice professionals​
d) Communities affected by criminal activities
3. What distinguishes primary victims from secondary victims?​
a) Primary victims are the first to report the crime​
b) Primary victims experience direct harm from the crime, while secondary victims
are affected indirectly​
c) Secondary victims always receive compensation, while primary victims do not​
d) Primary victims are frequently offenders themselves
4. What does the "victim precipitation theory" propose?​
a) Victims are innocent and have no responsibility for the crimes committed against
them​
b) Some victims may contribute to their victimization through their own actions​
c) Victimization is random and unrelated to the actions of the victim​
d) Criminal behavior is a result of societal structures rather than individual actions
5. Which method is commonly used to gather data in victimology studies?​
a) Victim impact statements​
b) Crime scene investigations​
c) Surveys and interviews​
d) Courtroom observations
6. What is meant by the term "victim blaming"?​
a) Holding the victim partially responsible for the crime committed against them​
b) The process of assigning punishment to the offender​
c) Victims taking accountability for their actions​
d) Society disregarding the suffering of victims
7. According to the "Cycle of Violence" theory, what is the main idea?​
a) Victims are likely to become offenders later on​
b) Victims of crime always seek vengeance against their perpetrators​
c) Experiencing victimization can lead to future cycles of violence within families or
communities​
d) The effects of victimization are temporary
8. Which situation is an example of "secondary victimization"?​
a) A person being robbed at gunpoint​
b) A rape survivor being blamed or neglected by law enforcement​
c) A victim receiving counseling services​
d) A victim reporting the crime to authorities
9. What is a key aspect of the "victim-offender overlap"?​
a) Victims and offenders are usually from entirely different social backgrounds​
b) Victims can sometimes become offenders as a result of their experiences​
c) Offenders are rarely victims themselves​
d) Victimization only happens to those in poverty
10. What type of crimes are most frequently examined in victimology?​
a) Corporate fraud​
b) Violent crimes such as assault and homicide​
c) White-collar crime​
d) Environmental crimes
11. What is the purpose of a "victim impact statement"?​
a) A document provided by the defense attorney in criminal cases​
b) A statement made by the victim to the court describing the impact of the crime​
c) A report by police detailing the crime scene​
d) A psychological assessment of the victim’s response to the crime
12. Which theory suggests that societal reactions to crime may cause additional harm to
the victim?​
a) Routine Activities Theory​
b) Social Disorganization Theory​
c) Secondary Victimization Theory​
d) Strain Theory
13. Which of the following is NOT considered a form of victimization within the
criminal justice system?​
a) Physical harm caused by a criminal act​
b) Psychological trauma caused by crime​
c) Loss of property​
d) An offender receiving a prison sentence
14. In victimology, "resilience" refers to:​
a) A victim’s ability to recover from trauma​
b) The initial emotional reaction of the victim to the crime​
c) The amount of compensation the victim receives​
d) A victim’s inability to heal from trauma
15. Which term refers to crimes that are reported to authorities?​
a) Dark figure of crime​
b) Street-level crime​
c) Reported victimization​
d) Victimless crime
16. Who first coined the term "victimology"?​
a) Hans von Hentig​
b) Marvin Wolfgang​
c) Benjamin Mendelsohn​
d) William Sheldon
17. What is a primary feature of "crime victim compensation programs"?​
a) Punishing the offender​
b) Providing financial support to victims of violent crimes​
c) Offering therapy to offenders​
d) Providing restorative justice to offenders
18. What does the "Lifestyle Exposure Theory" emphasize?​
a) How an individual’s lifestyle choices increase the likelihood of becoming a victim​
b) The benefits of living in low-crime areas​
c) The role of police in preventing victimization​
d) The impact of violent crimes on offenders
19. What is a major critique of the "victim precipitation" theory?​
a) It places too much responsibility on victims for their victimization​
b) It overlooks the importance of the criminal justice system​
c) It fails to address the psychological effects on victims​
d) It is overly focused on the offender’s role
20. According to the "Routine Activities Theory," when does crime occur?​
a) When a motivated offender encounters a suitable target without capable
guardianship​
b) When victims are directly involved in criminal behavior​
c) When societal structures fail to prevent criminal activity​
d) When there is significant social inequality
21. Which of the following represents an example of primary victimization?​
a) A friend of a car accident victim becoming distressed​
 b) A person directly injured during an armed robbery​
c) A neighbor witnessing a robbery​
d) A family member of a homicide victim receiving compensation
22. Which of the following is considered a "consequence of victimization"?​
a) Economic loss​
b) Physical injuries​
c) Emotional trauma​
d) All of the above
23. What term refers to the study of victimization and the criminal justice response to it?​
a) Victimology​
b) Criminology​
c) Penology​
d) Forensic psychology
24. Which type of crime is most often linked to intimate partner violence?​
a) Fraud​
b) Domestic abuse​
c) Burglary​
d) Hate crimes
25. Which concept focuses on societal and systemic factors contributing to victimization?​
a) Victim blaming​
b) Social control theory​
c) Theoretical victimization​
d) Structural victimization
26. The "impact of victimization" can include all of the following EXCEPT:​
a) Psychological distress​
b) Social isolation​
c) Financial benefits​
d) Physical injuries
27. What is the main limitation of self-report victimization surveys?​
a) They only capture violent crimes​
b) They tend to underreport criminal activities​
c) They do not provide insight into the psychological impact on victims​
d) They fail to measure property crimes
28. Which factor is NOT typically associated with victimization risk in the "victimization
triangle"?​
a) The target's vulnerability​
b) The offender's motivation​
 c) The police response​
d) The absence of a capable guardian
29. What does the "Social Support" theory propose?​
a) Victims without social support are more likely to experience severe consequences
from victimization​
b) Social networks have little to contribute to the recovery process for victims​
c) The role of social support has no impact on victim outcomes​
d) Victims should be isolated from social networks to avoid further harm
30. How does victimization impact societal perceptions of crime?​
a) It leads to a reduction in crime prevention efforts​
b) It increases empathy for offenders​
c) It may heighten fear and misconceptions about crime rates​
d) It leads to more lenient punishment for offenders

True/False Questions
1. Victimology focuses solely on how crime impacts individual victims.​
True / False
2. Primary victims are those who experience direct effects from a criminal act.​
True / False
3. The "victim precipitation theory" suggests that victims contribute to their own
victimization.​
True / False
4. Victim blaming is when victims are held partially responsible for the crimes committed
against them.​
True / False
5. Secondary victimization occurs when victims are retraumatized through the criminal
justice system or societal responses.​
True / False
6. The term "victimology" refers to the study of how crime affects victims and the
societal response to victimization.​
True / False
7. Secondary victimization takes place when victims are retraumatized by the criminal
justice system or societal reactions.​
True / False
8. The "victim-offender overlap" theory suggests that many offenders have also been
victims themselves.​
True / False
9. The Routine Activities Theory asserts that the likelihood of crime depends on the daily
activities of potential offenders and targets.​
True / False
10. The "Cycle of Violence" theory suggests that victims are unlikely to become
offenders themselves.​
True / False
11. Self-report victimization surveys only measure crimes reported to the authorities.​
True / False
12. The "Lifestyle Exposure Theory" focuses on the idea that certain behaviors may
increase the likelihood of victimization.​
True / False
13. The "Dark Figure of Crime" refers to crimes that are not reported to the police and
thus remain outside official statistics.​
True / False
14. The "victim precipitation theory" suggests that some individuals provoke the crimes
committed against them.​
True / False
15. The legal definition of a "victim" refers only to individuals directly harmed by a
crime and excludes indirect victims such as family members.​
True / False