Victimology Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The passage says that victim reaction has been a key factor in the victim-oriented changes in the criminal justice system, so the answer is victims' reactions.

System, judiciary and police are not named as the key factor; they are the institutions that were changed, not the cause of the change. The passage says that this reaction has led to significant changes after research in the 1980s and 1990s.

Answer: C

The passage states that most of the victims interviewed by the two commissions spoke negatively about their treatment in the criminal justice system, so the feeling is negative.

Neutral and positive are wrong because the passage says the opposite, and all of the above is wrong because the reactions were not mixed. The passage adds that most victims interviewed by the commissions of 1982 and 1984 spoke negatively.

Answer: B

The passage says victims are victimised twice, once by the criminal and once by the system, so the answer is twice.

Once, thrice and four times do not match the author's count of two sources of victimisation. The words 'Once by the criminal and once by the system' in the passage give the count directly.

Answer: A

According to the passage, victims are victimised a second time by the system, which blames them, shows little sympathy and favours defendants.

Committees and commissions are wrong: the commissions only interviewed victims and reported their treatment. Subjects workers is not mentioned in the passage. The passage lists blame of the victim, lack of sympathy and the feeling that the system favours defendants as the ways the system victimises.

Answer: B

The passage says victims perceive that when the offender is known to the alleged victim, the police and others view the matter as a domestic problem, so it is a domestic issue.

A criminal case and a civil case are wrong because the police treat it as neither, and none of the above is wrong because the passage names the domestic problem. The passage says victims perceive the police as seeing crimes by known persons as domestic problems, which is the very point the question tests.

Answer: B

Restitution means that the offender pays money to the victim of the crime.

In restitution the offender makes good the loss or harm caused to the victim, by paying money or returning property or by service, as ordered by the court. It focuses on the victim and differs from a fine, which is paid to the State.

A payment by the victim to the offender, or by the State to the offender, is the opposite of restitution. A payment by the State to the victim is victim compensation and is also not restitution.

Answer: C

The Code of Criminal Procedure makes the provision that permits the victim to engage an advocate of his or her choice to assist the prosecution. The proviso to Section 24(8), added by an amendment in 2008, allows the court to permit the victim to engage an advocate to assist the prosecution.

The Protection of Human Rights Act sets up the Human Rights Commissions, the Constitution gives general rights, and the Indian Penal Code defines offences, so none of them has this provision.

Answer: C

The use by sentencing authorities, in the process of sentencing, of information supplied by the victim is called a victim impact statement. It tells the court how the crime has affected the victim physically, emotionally and financially, and the court may consider it in deciding the sentence.

Truth in sentencing is a policy that offenders serve most of their sentence, a presentence investigation is a report on the offender by the probation officer, and sentencing is the whole process of deciding punishment.

Answer: A

The Code of Criminal Procedure gives the victim the right to prefer an appeal against an order of acquittal, a conviction for a lesser offence or inadequate compensation, by the proviso added to section 372 in 2009. The other options are not statutes of procedure that grant the right, and the Indian Penal Code defines offences, so the answer is A. The victim's right to appeal was added because earlier only the State could appeal against an acquittal, and victims had little remedy.

Answer: D

Bail is not a victim assistance programme: it is the release of the accused. Crisis intervention, follow-up of the case and counselling are all services provided to victims, so they are wrong answers to a question asking what is not a victim assistance programme. The answer is D. Victim assistance programmes aim to help the person harmed, by giving immediate emotional support (crisis intervention), continued help as the case goes through the courts (follow-up) and counselling, whereas bail concerns the accused's liberty before trial.