14.1 Introduction

Victimology is the scientific study of victimisation within society. It is a grounded social science derived from the narratives and experiences of survivors of crime and, like criminology, it explores broader social questions about how people come to experience violence, how those experiences are understood within society, and the imbalance of power between the various actors in the criminal justice system. Victimology should not be defined as the study of “victims.” This would be akin to describing criminology as the study of “criminals” without acknowledging the value-laden nature of the word and the power dynamics that shape its use. Victimology is often understood as emerging as a sub-discipline of criminology, and later emerging as a distinct yet overlapping discipline exploring a different set of questions than criminologists (Spencer & Walklate, 2016; Wemmers, 2017). Victimology research often identifies and defines types of victimisation, explores how they are measured, and examines relationships between victims and perpetrators and the experiences of survivors in the criminal justice system, victim services, and society (Karmen, 2020). The World Society of Victimology brings together international academics and practitioners to advance the scientific study of victimisation and to advocate for improvements to victim rights.

In this chapter, our discussion will focus on crime victims and the role they have within both the criminal event and the criminal justice system.  We will examine theories that help explain why some victimisation occurs, followed by the advantages and limitations of measuring victimisation.  Our discussion will also provide an overview of victim rights in Canada, along with a discussion on the types of victim assistance and services available to victims of crime and survivor reactions to services. We will provide victimisation reports that focus on Indigenous Peoples and provide a link to a documentary that explores racism in the criminal justice system.