Twenty volumes of victimology
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758013513659 |
| Author | Jennifer Sloan,Joanna Shapland |
| Date | 01 January 2014 |
| Published date | 01 January 2014 |
| Subject Matter | Introduction |
Introduction
Twenty volumes
of victimology:
The special issue
Joanna Shapland and Jennifer Sloan
University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
‘Another milestone has been reached in the development of victimology.’ This is how the first edi-
tion of the International Review of Victimology began in 1989, edited by John Freeman and Leslie
Sebba. Twenty-four years later, another milestone has been reached in the form of the 20th volume
of the journal. In that time, much has changed in the world of victimology, yet other issues have
remained. Freeman and Sebba raised key questions in their first editorial: ‘Is victimology a socio-
political movement whose objective is the pursuit of victims’ rights, or rather an academic activity
concerned ‘‘merely’’ with the pursuit of knowledge?’ ‘Should a victimological journal serve as
a forum designed to meet the needs of persons engaged in victim services, or of academic research-
ers?’ Finally – the hoary old chestnut – ‘Is victimology concerned exclusively with victims of
crime, or also with other categories of victimisation?’ Such questions still rear their heads today.
The pioneers of victimology those 20 years ago were both academics and practitioners.
Although criminology, one of its parent disciplines, had made a clear distinction between academic
research, practice and policy making, victimology then was yet to do so. Today, in all social policy
areas, the relationships between research, practice and policy are still very contested. The paths
whereby the results of research reach and influence both practice and policy are often tangled and
beset with minefields and dead ends, just as Rock (1986, 1990) described for Canada and England
& Wales. Yet we have moved on. Victimological research and theory have acquired a distinct iden-
tity and operate according to academic research methods and ethics – but they both study and also
influence practice and policy. Victimology has not become solely the preserve of pressure groups,
but equally those research ethics include care for victims and often are illuminated by passion and
empathy.
Twenty volumes on, Sebba and Berenblum return in this issue to the scope of victimology, sup-
plemented by empirical data into the use of the term ‘victim’ in academic articles between 1960
and 2012, and considering the historical development of ‘victimology’. The issues concerning
Corresponding author:
Professor Joanna Shapland, Centre for Criminological Research, School of Law, University of Sheffield, Bartolome House,
Winter Street, Sheffield S3 7ND, UK.
Email: j.m.shapland@sheffield.ac.uk
International Review of Victimology
2014, Vol 20(1) 3–5
ªThe Author(s) 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/0269758013513659
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