Introduction Criminal victimisation is a terrible ordeal for anyone victimised to have to go through; it affects victims in a number of negative ways. However, up until recent times the main concern was the offender and the victim simply left in their shadow. This is not the case anymore. The following essay is going to look at the effects that criminal victimisation can have on the individual. Through the article by Barry R. Ruback and Martie P. Thompson, the main effects of victimisation will be studied. These are Affective consequences, which include posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. Next, the behavioural consequences, they consist of alcohol/ drug abuse and avoidance. Finally, the cognitive consequences faced the…show more content… Avoidance involves a person not going to certain places and detaching themselves from people (Ruback & Thompson, 2001). If a person is victimised in a certain area or a certain time, then the person will make sure not to go there again to avoid the victimisation happening again. Finally, perhaps one of the most significant consequences from being victimised is the cognitive issues. These involve "assumptions people hold about themselves, the world, and their relationship to it" (Ruback & Thompson, 2001, p.98). Being victimised can change your view dramatically, whether it is the everyday things a person does, their view on the world as a whole. A person can go from having positive outlook to having a negative view on the world; resulting in them being in a state of fear. In saying that, the worst cognitive issue a victim can face is fear of crime.
Fear of crime is a constant fear causing a person to think they will be victimised again. As it is noted by (Ruback & Thompson, 2001, p.98) "Sometimes, this fear generalizes to virtually all situations". Fear can affect a person greatly; it means no matter what they are doing they are worried that something may happen to