The Short and Long Term Impacts of Being a Victim of Crime

Impacts of Being a Victim of Crime
Livia Eni

Being a victim of any crime, small or large can be emotionally, mentally and physically devastating. The changes that a victim of a major crime will go through are different for each person and their crime. I'm sure we've all heard of post traumatic stress disorder, but there are so many seemingly strange outcomes of being a victim related to PTSD.

The police investigation, physical exam or just returning to the scene of the crime can be like being victimized all over again. Many victims of sexual assault have reported that they felt faulted by health services for what happened to them. Denial is a major problem shortly after a person has been a victim of crime- as well as in the long run. Later down the road, denial may confuse a victim into thinking that they are fine and have recovered from their trauma when there are still tons of skeletons in the closet. Other common long term affects include depression, anxiety and OCD. Physiological abuse often involves intimidation of the victim which is why that so commonly results in obsessive compulsive disorder. If you have ever read "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb, there is a perfect example of long term physiological abuse resulting in OCD.  A major change in a persons personality can be expected after a trauma. They may act as if they just want to blend in and be completely unnoticed by anyone.

A person who has been under extreme, long term physical abuse may suffer from debilitating injuries such as paralysis. A person may adopt strange habits after being a victim; sleeping with the lights on, or in the Law and Order episode"Closure" Harper, after being raped can only sleep with her running shoes on. The cycle of victimization suggests that of you are a victim of a major crime, due to the loss of money, sleep and confidence you are very likely to be made a victim again. Meaning, a long term affect of being a victim, is always being a victim.

Image result for the cycle of victimization

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is school Violent?

School should be thought of being a place of safety. At any school, any form of violence is ''not tolerated" but although it is said not to be tolerated- that is absolutely not the case. Canadian statistics show that 10% of all illegal or violent occurrences in youth occur in a school setting. This includes bullying, verbal abuse, physical harm and drug possession. Although schools in more rural areas have a rate of crime that is much smaller, some inner city schools, have such a high rate of violent crime  that they have a metal detector at the entrance. So... to answer the question, school is dangerous. Students are in very high danger of sexual harassment, assault, drug use and then the seemingly frequent school shootings. Interestingly enough, youth who have been victims of crime, are very likely to lash out among their peers and become the perpetrator due to bottled feelings of shame, guilt and pain. Another common character to cause violence at school is a young ga...
Read more

Auto Theft in Canada

When it comes to auto theft, too many people assume that because they don't drive a 2018 BMW, the risk of their vehicle being stolen is slim to none. Believe it or not, 2016 statistics show that the five most commonly stolen vehicles in Canada are Ford trucks. The country with the most auto theft is Canada with Alberta as the leading province. B.C. is the runner up separated by 6000 instances of auto theft. Auto theft on the lower mainland of B.C. has had a 2% decrease while theft in other parts of British Columbia has had a 8% increase... Damn. Regarding specific Canadian cities, the city ranking #1 in auto theft is Winnipeg with Prince George ranked as #2.  Stealing a vehicle is an opportunistic act which means preventing your car from being stolen is extremely easy. Having a visible anti-theft device installed in a vehicle is guaranteed to deter thieves. Most insurance agencies will even give you a discount on insurance for a vehicle that has that technology installed such ...
Read more

What Makes a Good Burglar

It is not rare that when most people think of burglars, they think of them all being in one category when there are actually different types of burglars-good ones and bad ones. Surely it is not a surprise that the successful burglars are the professional ones. Burglars who are considered sloppy are amateurs. They rob with the goal of fast cash to feed their addictions with little preparation. To be a good burglar, many skills are required including delicate handy work, mathematical ability and be able to woo members of the justice system.  A good burglar must be able to select easy targets to gain entry upon, handle tools and open safes. They must be able to form a trustworthy gang to overcome standard obstacles. Professional burglars always know what is waiting for them inside their place of entry as a result of tedious planning. Lastly, once the goods are stolen, professional burglars will have a buyer prepared to sell the stolen items for a good profit or will sell the items t...
Read more