Victims

Theoretical, practical and empirical work on victims of crime has had a shorter history than criminology. Its relations are still semi-detached and wary however it should no longer be possible to write about crime, criminals and criminal justice policy without considering the role of victims. Victims will review the origins and shaping of victimology in Europe and America, describe how the politics of victims unfolded in Britain, Australia and North America, and assess their influence on some of the key themes of criminology and criminal policy. Victims considers how victims have grown in practical, political and intellectual importance; concentrating on their impact on criminology; and describing how in particular they have obliged a number of writers reconsider the nature of crime, criminal process and criminal justice.