The perspective of the victimization experience. Description and Instructions: View the film Precious from the perspective of the victimization experience(s) of the central character.
Write an analysis of the film, using the following questions to guide your writing. Be prepared to discuss your thoughts in the live session.
1. Identify the type and extent of the victimization and the community’s reaction to it.
2. Assess the victim, perpetrator, and family in relation to his or her support systems, including family and community.
3. Analyze the manner in which this film projects the victimization and its sensitivity to the character as a person at risk.
4. Discuss the developmental implications for victim/survivor in the selection of treatment options/interventions.
5. Discuss your reaction to the experience, the character, and the impact this film had on your understanding of the values and ethics of our profession.
6. Discuss the short-term and potential long-term implications for the victim, perpetrator, AND family.
7. What did you learn from this assignment?
In trying to understand the victim’s experience, it is helpful to look at criminal victimization as a whole, not just the criminal event itself. Victimization includes how people deal with the stress of being victimized by something beyond their control. Before discussing the theories and research looking at victims, a key point needs to be highlighted: Not all crime victims are alike.
This is the major point in this section, which looks at how each victim moves from the criminal event to recovery and getting back to so-called normal life. Whenever possible in this manual, the specific nature of the crime will be linked to the relevant research. However, the reality of reviewing research is that each study can set slightly different definitions for how they define the crime and crime victim. Thus, readers should recognize that each person will take a unique path, but there are some things that most victims will face in becoming a crime victim. This section focuses on some of these common elements.
As we try to understand our clients, we need to look closely at how people change psychologically as they are faced with a criminal event and begin to identify themselves as a “crime victims”. Casarez-Levison (1992) reviewed several models of victimization. She developed a straightforward model of how people move from being a member of the general population to being a victim to becoming a survivor. She indicated that people move from a pre-crime state, to the crime event itself, to initial coping and adjustment, and finally to a state where being a crime victim is just part of their life experience (Casarez-Levison 1992).