18 Feb 2023

121

The Role of Victims in Criminal Apprehension

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Academic level: College

Paper type: Essay (Any Type)

Words: 1051

Pages: 4

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In the world today, crimes have been on the increase with many concepts surrounding it from the apprehension of the criminals, to the prevention crime occurring again. In the prevention of crime and criminology, there have been numerous factors that are risky which are identified to be related to different outcomes of crimes. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the victims’ role in helping the analysts to apprehend the criminals. The paper will also discuss how the crime mapping strategies can be used to identify crime-prone neighbourhoods to allow development and execution strategies of crime prevention. Victims of a crime are significant people in the criminal apprehension process. They assist crime analysts in arresting the criminals. When a victim reports a crime, they are asked to describe the happenings of the crime with every detail that took place ( Roelofse & Oliver, 2016) . The most important role is that of providing information. Given that the victims are the ones who experience the crime, they tend to have data which can help the analysts to capture the criminals. The interests of the victims are supposed to be considered in criminal justice; hence, their importance in apprehending criminals. In every kind of case starting from the one that is most serious to the least serious the law enforcers depend on the cooperation and participation of the crime victims. In any typical case, the crime victim reports the crime, gives all the details of the incident, identifies the perpetrator to help apprehend them. The crime victim is asked to remember the differentiating characteristics of a criminal such as their height, tattoos, and their colour, among others. Without such information, the offender is mysterious and may not end up being arrested. Besides the characteristics of the criminal, the victim can provide the criminal analyst with information regarding any contact with the perpetrator. For example, in case a perpetrator touched the victim, they might have left some DNA samples which can be used to identify them. Things such as phone calls, instances of having met them or knowing them are all provided by the victim to the analysts helping to arrest a criminal. Victims of embezzlement, for example, are the best in the analysis of such a crime ( Walklate, 2013) . This is because the victims have a good idea of their finances in which they can help the analysts through their cooperation. 

The participation of a victim is essential in the enforcement of the law, and the system solely depends on the voluntary participation of the crime victims exclusively to apprehend the criminals successfully. The willingness of the crime victim to report a crime is essential in the arrest of criminals. Without the assistance of the victims, many criminals go unpunished since the system of criminal justice is dependent on the cooperation of the victims. The victim also helps in identifying the criminal in a group of suspects. In every crime, the analysts tend to have a lot of suspects who might be having the characteristics described by the crime victim. Without involving the victim in the apprehension of criminals, it becomes difficult to arrest the right person hence the critical role of the victim in criminal detention. The victims also have the purpose of providing support financially to crime analysts to help arrest the criminals ( Kirchengast, 2016) . The victims and their family can help the analysts in apprehending the criminals through helping to hire private analysts who can work together with the public analysts to investigate the suspects. Criminal analysts are allowed to use the resources as well as the information that the victims provide in any way they deem appropriate to apprehend criminals. Crime analysts use crime mapping to analyze, visualize, and map patterns of crime incidents. Crime mapping is an essential component of investigating crimes as well as strategies for policing. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) helps the analysts to identify hot spots of corruption and other trends that can help come up with strategies that are effective for the prevention of crimes in neighbourhoods that are vulnerable. GIS also offers flexible licensing and capabilities that are uniques which are applied in location-based analysis for the crime giving the crime analysts greater insight on the crimes and patterns ( Santos, 2016) . GIS is used to overlay datasets such as the demographic census, locations of target among others which can help identify the causes of crimes and allow the enforcers of law to develop strategies that help deal with the problems. Operations of law enforcement, for example, allocation of police officers and they are dispatched during emergencies are possible through the use of GIS. Crime analysis and mapping help the management of law enforcement to target and allocate resources, come up with strategies, and make decisions that are better which can help them identify programs and ways in which they can help the vulnerable place to be crime-free. The different crime mapping types help understand patterns of recidivism and evaluate programs for reducing and preventing crimes such as the Project Safe Neighborhoods. The increase in internet technology primarily web-based GIS has opened new ways and ideas of using crime mapping to support the prevention of crimes and support the use of community policing to prevent crimes ( Santos, 2012) . The analysis of a geographical area especially areas where past offenders and victims lived as well as where the crimes occurred assisting the police in determining neighbourhoods that could attract offenders and areas that offenders who are not known can reside. Crime analysis, especially crime mapping has an essential role in policing hot spots. GIS analyses police data and this strategy major on the identification of areas that are vulnerable to crime. This type of mapping is accurate in identifying hot spots ( Santos, 2016) . Computer Statistic approach (CompStat) is used for tactical analysis, such as forecasting crimes and profiling geographically. CompStat has been identified as one of the most significant influences that surround the adoption of crime mapping. Predictive policing is possible through crime mapping. This approach is more cost-friendly and effective than any type \of policies used in the past since it does not just concentrate on where the crime will occur, but it does identify the time when the crime is likely to occur. The pattern helps to protect these vulnerable areas by flooding the area with adequate police at that particular time. The Risk Terrain Modelling Diagnostics software (RTMDx) usually facilitates the risk area map production method and identifies the various factors which are classified as related to incidents of crimes geographically ( Yerxa, 2013) . 

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References 

Kirchengast, T. (2016). The victim in criminal law and justice . Springer. 

Roelofse, C., & Oliver, C. (2016). Advocacy for integrated criminal justice forums. Acta Criminological: Southern African Journal of Criminology , 29 (2), 188-205. 

Santos, R. B. (2012). Effectiveness of Police in Reducing Crime and the Role of Crime Analysis. In Crime Analysis with Crime Mapping (pp. 40-53). Sage Publications, Inc. 

Santos, R. B. (2016). Crime analysis with crime mapping . Sage publications. 

Walklate, S. (2013). Victimology (Routledge Revivals): The Victim and the Criminal Justice Process . Routledge. 

Yerxa, M. (2013). Evaluating the temporal parameters of risk terrain modelling with residential burglary. Crime Mapping: A Journal of Research and Practice , 5 (1), 7-38. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). The Role of Victims in Criminal Apprehension.
https://studybounty.com/the-role-of-victims-in-criminal-apprehension-essay

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