victimology

A CLOSER LOOK ON VICTIMOLOGY

One interesting of analysis these days is the criminal justice procedure , particularly the aspect of the victim or victimology . And the book I have chosen for a closer scrutiny of this is the one written by Michael Tonry - Thinking About Crime : Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Culture . I chose this book because it basically discusses the logic of imprisonment or incarceration and why our culture sees this as the end-all solution to crime and violence

According to Huey (2006 , Tonry 's central thesis in this particular

br book is the argument that American policy on crime and penalty has developed in response to cyclical shifts in public `sensibilities ' that are influenced by series of sensationalized events . Tonry writes that the cyclical effects of steeply rising and then sharply falling crime rates on prevailing sensibilities , and through them on American penal culture and policies , produced the criminal justice system Americans have now (2004 : 198 . He goes on further by saying that this particular combination of factors creates conditions resembling a continuous moral panic , and many American policy makers acted as panicked people do (ibid . In support of this argument , Tonry draws extensively upon cross-cultural comparative data (to demonstrate that American penal policies are presently uniquely punitive ) and historical trend data (to show readers that this punitiveness waxes and wanes over time (Huey , 2006

Although the book is generally insightful , there are also some discussions lacking -discussions which I feel are relevant to the at hand . The one significant defect of Tonry 's book is the obvious lack of discussion on the role of American culture in shaping American politics , mass media activity , and public reactions to events . In particular , the author has arrived at the conclusion that the current style of politics in America has allowed politicians to succumb to public sentiments - which , I believe , holds true for any democratic country . Hence , I think the bigger issue that needs closer analysis is the factor in American culture that makes both the electorate and its politicians so much more focused on crime

One other premise in Tonry 's book is filled with loopholes . He implied that Americans are the only ones who are subjected to media-induced panic frenzies over high pro criminal cases . As noted by Huey (2006 , Canadian serial killer Karla Homolka is newly released from prison , spawning countless letters to the editor on the `need ' to `get tough ' on crime -which clearly indicates that Americans are hardly alone in this aspect

In my opinion , I think the focus of Tonry should be an analysis of why American public attitudes are so different from those of other Western nations when it comes to the treatment of crime and punishment ? For me it is not merely a question of moral panics . Instead , the bigger factors lie in the social , historical , political and economic factors of a given culture or nation . And to be able to paint a full picture of the social phenomena that...