Project 3 in victimology
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School
Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
315
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
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4
Uploaded by HighnessEnergy5197
PROJECT 3
By: Ashley Gadue
CJ 315 VICTIMOLOGY SNHU
Teacher: Naomi Estrada
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Empathy influences how
people think about crime and what the appropriate punishment should be. People who are
empathetic tend to support tough punishments for violent crimes. Empathy can also lead to
more lenient sentencing, as people who feel empathy for a defendant are more likely to assign
lower punishments than those who do not. Someone’s backstory and history can change how
others feel about them. For example, James, a 17-year-old boy that robbed a cab driver. He
had never been in trouble with the law. He told Officer Friendly he was being bullied at
school and was told if he didn’t rob the cab driver they would rob his mother. He accepted
responsibility, showed remorse and said he knew he had made the wrong decision because he
was scared.
Empathy is important in all areas of law enforcement from first responders and
officers who are the first to deal with a victim to the judges that decide the punishments.
An elderly immigrant named Victor was the victim of a robbery while on the job driving a
cab. He immediately reported it to his boss and his boss reported it to local law enforcement.
Officer Grumpy responded and took Victor’s statement, gave him a form to fill out and said if
they catch the kid someone from the attorney’s office would contact him. The officer showed
no empathy towards Victor. Victor missed a week of work because he was experiencing
anxiety and a fear of picking up young males which was a huge loss of money. He has a bias
towards teenagers now and is seeing a therapist weekly and looking for a new job.
The officer should have helped Victor feel safe, express his concerns, and give him a clear
understanding of what the next steps are and who to contact if he has questions. By
approaching victims appropriately, officers will gain their trust and cooperation. (
First
Response to Victims of Crime - Basic Guidelines on Approaching Victims of Crime
, n.d.-b)
Officer Friendly displayed empathy towards James, the offender. He understood that he had
no positive male role models, and he hadn’t been in trouble before. James was the same age as
officer Friendly’s son.
Janice, his mom was single and worked 3
rd
shift and blamed herself for
her son’s behavior. The officer’s empathy made James feel safe enough to open up about
being bullied at school and being afraid for his mom if he didn’t rob the cab driver like he was
told by the kids at his school. After James was arrested the police department referred him to
the diversion program rather than involving the juvenile justice system. Through the diversion
program, James is eligible to participate in the restorative justice process through the county’s
new Restorative Justice Program for Youthful Offenders.
The media picked up the story and posted Victor’s photo with a headline implying he was
viciously attacked by a “possible gang member.” The media can often influence the outcome
of a case. It also makes James out to be violent and a gang member which he is not. This can
make James feel unsafe and make others afraid of him. The way the media portrayed him can
have long lasting negative effects on his life.
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References:
First response to victims of crime - Basic guidelines on approaching victims of crime
. (n.d.-b).
https://www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/reports/firstrep/bgavoc.html