International Review of Victimology

The role of victims in the criminal trial has been subject to considerable critique in recent years. This article argues that scholarship and policy governing the treatment of victims and witnesses in ‘ordinary’ criminal trials within ‘settled’ societies may be substantially enriched by drawing lessons from the roles of, and practices affecting, victims within post-conflict societies. There is a clear need for policy-makers and law reformers to look beyond the familiar spheres of the domestic criminal process if the justice system is to become more effective, just and legitimate in the eyes of both victims and the wider public. This article draws on both theory and praxis on the role of victims within transitional justice, and contends that trial justice in common law systems may be enriched through centring processes on three key themes which are commonly emphasized in transitional justice frameworks, these being: (i) truth recovery; (ii) victim participation; and (iii) reparation.

Providing ‘justice for victims’ has become a common argument for the establishment of international criminal tribunals. However, the victims’ role in trials of mass atrocities is highly disputed among scholars and practitioners. This article will take a look behind the theoretical understanding of ‘justice’ and present the views of victims, judges, prosecutors and lawyers involved in the proceedings. Based on 30 qualitative interviews that have been conducted at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia, this article attempts to examine what elements of justice an international(ized) criminal trial can and should achieve from the perspective of its participants. An insight into the victims’ and legal professionals’ expectations for justice sheds light on the question to what extent ‘justice for victims’ is a feasible interest of internation(ized) trials or a mere symbolic label to legitimize international courts. Considering the financial and practical constraints of international criminal courts, the article endeavours to identify measures both in and out of the courtroom that balance the interests of all participants.

There is a strong sense of negativity associated with online fraud victimization. Despite an increasing awareness, understanding about the reality of victimization experiences is not apparent. Rather, victims of online fraud are constructed as greedy and gullible and there is an overwhelming sense of blame and responsibility levelled at them for the actions that led to their losses. This belief transcends both non-victims and victims. The existence of this victim-blaming discourse is significant. Based on interviews with 85 seniors across Queensland, Australia, who received fraudulent emails, this article establishes the victim-blaming discourse as an overwhelmingly powerful and controlling discourse about online fraud victimization. However, the article also examines how humour acts as a tool to reinforce this discourse by isolating victims and impacting on their ability to disclose to those around them. Identifying and challenging this victim-blaming discourse, as well as the role of humour and its social acceptance, is a first step in the facilitation of victim recovery and future well-being.

The purpose of this study was to examine mock jurors’ decisions when faced with a case involving a bully charged with the suicide death of a victim. Mock jurors read a fictional trial transcript detailing the final months of the victim’s life, in which the 16-year-old victim was repeatedly bullied by the 18-year-old defendant. Manipulations included: sex of the victim and defendant (i.e. both were female or both were male), nature of the bullying (i.e. directly threatening to kill the victim or indirectly telling the victim to kill himself), and the medium used by the bully (i.e. no bullying occurred online or some bullying occurred with the use of the internet). Most mock jurors were in favor of convicting the defendant, particularly when both parties were male and the defendant was accused of repeatedly telling the victim to kill himself both on- and offline. Over 80 percent of the mock jurors stated that they would like to see bullies incur criminal charges. Approximately 50 percent indicated that they felt a charge as severe as manslaughter was warranted in cases where the victim commits suicide.

The aim of this article is to unpack how the categories ‘gender’ and ‘age’ are understood among Swedish Victim Support organizations. This is done through a study of how individuals who work in Swedish Victim Support organizations talk about victims as well as about their own role. In an analysis of 12 focus groups from Swedish Victim Support organizations, where one part was based on vignettes and the other part on open discussion, we focus on how the supporters understand gender and age. By working with three categorical pairs – victim and supporter, male and female as well as young and old – we show that gender is a dominant categorization in understanding both victims and victim supporters. Age seemed to have more importance in how women are understood, as female victims were described quite differently depending on age, and the ideal helper was described as a mature woman. Male helpers were regarded as a homogenous group and age did not matter. Conclusively, we found that, while gender as a category was important in the understanding of how people are perceived in Victim Support, the intersection of the categories of gender and age were important in supporting and enhancing this understanding. This article points at the importance of understanding how these specific categories work.

This article details the first year of a collaborative effort between a campus-based university and its local Victim Support scheme. The key innovative component was that student volunteers were trained to provide support to peers who experienced crime. Not a formal evaluation, this article outlines how the work appeared beneficial to the university, its students and Victim Support. The first two benefited through improved on-campus service to victimized students and to those who were trained and worked as volunteers. Victim Support benefited from increased numbers of volunteers and consequently improved services. Some implementation difficulties are also described. This study provides a platform for further efforts and their more formal evaluation.