Victim Reporting Essay

In general, most victims do not report incidents. However, the chances of the victim reporting an incident depends on the specific incident, the extent of physical harm, police department, city, race, income gender etc. To elaborate, a violent crime is more likely to be reported in comparison to theft crimes. The victim may be hesitant on reporting if they resisted with a weapon and caused harm during the altercation. Victims that deal with crimes involving their vehicles could determine whether or not he or she wants to report it. For example, the victim could fear complication with the insurance companies. Fear plays a major role on the victim’s decision-making. Thus, it is quite possible that the victim could worry that the offender is associated with a gang in fear of future harm that could be done to them. Most importantly, the victim may feel that the incident does not need to be reported, when in fact it should (Karmen, 2012).
In addition, victims view punishment differently. In that case, the victim might believe the offender won’t get what he or she deserved, so they’ll do it themselves. Some victims may be reluctant to report a crime a second time if they had a terrible experience the first time. For instance, the victim could feel that the officer is not showing much interest or is not concerned, sensitive about the victim’s situation. Last of all the fear of police brutality could determine whether or not the victim reports a crime. A lot of people are conditioned to think the police will only make situations worse if you call them (Karmen,