Theft Victims and their Attitudes toward being Victimized

Prof. M.W. Jayasundara
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Prof. M.W. Jayasundara: Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2023, vol. 7, issue 4, 552-566

Abstract: Until recently the attention of criminal justice has not been adequately drawn toward the victims of crime. Instead, more concern had been given to crime and perpetrator. But last twenty to thirty years there have been movements to discuss the victims’ rights and their involvement in the criminal justice system. Scholars have found out the extent of harm suffered by the victims. This study focuses on the theft victims and the harm caused to them by the perpetrators stealing their properties. Theft as a property crime records a considerable decrease in percentage from66.8 in 2006 to 25.39 in 2019. The research problem is primarily concerned with the impacts of theft as a property crime, and how far it has affected the normal life of the citizens of the country for it stands at 16.6 percent of the total number of grave crimes in the country. Therefore, this study was aimed at finding the nature and the impacts of theft on victims. Eighty-four victims of theft were selected to achieve the targets of the study from a convenient sample, adding 5-8 incidents of thefts from a police station chosen from the selected fourteen districts. The data were collected by using a semi-structured interview schedule administered to the victims of theft. The findings of the study revealed that 64.3% of the thieves were unknown to the victims except for the fact that 35.7% of offenders were their family members, relatives, and neighbors. The majority of the victims (44.7%) were involved in businesses and government sector employment and comparatively, they were well-to-do people in the community targeted by the offenders for theft. The main target of the thieves was money or jewelry or both some occasions they had stolen mobile phones, motorcycles, three-wheelers, and other valuable items. Of the identified thieves,15.5% were drug addicts and alcoholics who had committed thefts to finance their drugs. The impact of the theft was a financial loss, mental pain, and anxiety caused to the majority of the victims. The victims have taken measures to prevent revictimization by ensuring the security of their residences as well as their business establishments. The study proposes reducing drug addiction and target hardening on thieves to minimize theft in the country.

Date: 2023
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