Victims of Crime in Canada: An Introduction
Being a victim of crime affects the victim personally, and the larger community. This is a series of blog posts about victims of crime in Canada. Throughout the series, I draw on several current resources to help us understand victimization, and why preventing victimization is smart on crime.
We need to understand victimization, and the needs of victims of crime, because of the impact being a victim has on their lives, and the huge cost to society. As a caring society we need to support victims. We need to help them overcome the trauma they have experienced.
Here are a few things you might not know about victims of crime in Canada:
- Only one quarter of Canadians reported being victims in 2009
- 93% of Canadians feel safe and think they will not become victims
- 81% of assault victims know the perpetrator
- 50% of victims of a violent crime suffer moderate or extreme distress
- The cost of pain and suffering experienced by victims of crime in 2008 totaled over $65 billion
- In 2004, 2% of the population experienced 60% of all violent crime
Information like this raises questions about how to best support people when they become victims of crime. For example, what is it about that 2% of the population that make them so vulnerable to violent crime? What can we do to help them? Can we prevent further victimization?
I will look at these questions in more depth in three additional blog posts. I will take a look at the importance of addressing root causes of crime, the consequences and aftermath for victims of crime and supports for victims within our Waterloo Region community.
Resources used in this post:
Introduction to Intervention with Crime Victims (2011)
Multiple Victimization in Canada, 2004
Author: Tracie McGrath-Levis
Tracie McGrath-Levi is a completing a student placement with WRCPC and has contributed previous posts to Smart on Crime. In addition to completing her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Tracie works full-time with the John Howard Society in Milton. In her role there Tracie works in court four days a week in an adult diversion program and in bail.