ABSTRACT
Th e victims of crime are diverse, and their responses to criminal victimization vary widely as a result. Victimization, regardless of the form it takes, can lead to both short-term emotional diffi culties and long-term psychological suff ering for victims. Victims of crime may suff er deeply from a wide range of physical, psychological, and economic diffi culties, and the degree of suff ering may be determined by a number of factors, including the characteristics of the crime itself, the characteristics of the off ender, the nature of the victim-off ender relationship, and structural and individual-level factors
characterizing the victim. Th is chapter addresses the mental health outcomes of criminal victimization for victims, highlighting several key factors, such as gender, age, and psychiatric disability, all of which render certain groups of individuals particularly vulnerable to victimization. Indeed, those who are most vulnerable to victimization are also those who may face the greatest barriers when attempting to access support in the criminal justice and mental health systems.
