Dangerous victimology: My lessons learned from Nils Christie

Abstract

This article first discusses the key concepts of Nils Christie’s victimological-oriented work drawn from “Conflicts as property” (1977) and “The ideal victim” (1986). Using international criminal justice as an example, it demonstrates the enduring importance of Christie’s insights to victimology. Subsequently the paper offers a three-fold critique of Christie’s work. First, the stereotype of the ideal victim is confronted with the bodies of literature on the justice motive and the phenomenon of framing. Second, Christie’s views on the role of the state in “Conflicts as Property” are discussed against the backdrop of libertarian and communitarian theories of political philosophy. Third, the notion that ‘crime does not exist’ is rebutted using a victimological perspective.

Keywords

• victimology
• restorative justice
• just world theory
• communitarianism
• framing