Lifestyle Victimization Theory - 275 Words

Lifestyle Victimization Theory (Essay Sample) Content: LIFESTYLE VICTIMIZATION THEORY.NameName of the course26th, October 2014Lifestyle Victimization TheoryCriminology and the criminal justice system have been focusing on gaining insight regarding criminal offending as compared to criminal victimization. However, there has been a paradigm shift that has been brought about by scientific advancement and social and political forces. These have acted as the foundation for the emergence of the theories of victimization (Wilcox, 2010). An example of these theories is the lifestyle-exposure theory. This theory indicates that the risk of being criminally victimized is dependent on the individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s proximity/exposure to populations characterized as being offenders. This is dependent on the lifestyle and daily activities of the individual (Wilcox, 2010). The individual has an increased likelihood of interacting with individuals whom they possess similar characteristics hence the risk of victimization is directly proportio nal to characteristics they share with the offenders (Wilcox, 2010).For instance, I recently read a Newspaper and in a small column at the back of the paper a specific story caught my attention that related to some arrested sexual offenders that lived close to my neighborhood. As I was reading the names of these offenders, I was shocked to see the name "Jesse" a neighbor that had been recently expelled from school for being intoxicated with marijuana and fighting with fellow students. "Jesse" had a free pass at the local club despite being under age where most of the neighborhood criminals met to pass time. There were a lot of drugs in the club and frequent reports of violence and disturbance within and close to the club.On that particular day, "Jesse" went to the club as usual as reported on the paper, and at about 11 p.m. some of the revelers after taking drugs went out. It was a group of two white and a Latin American male. They harassed a few women on the streets and ...