ABSTRACT

Criminal justice systems are typically viewed as representing a sequential series of stages of decision making. As such, the decisions of those who make the earliest decisions carry the greatest weight since these decisions determine which individuals will be subject to the discretionary power of later decision makers. Whereas the police have traditionally been thought of as the system's gatekeepers, victimization surveys conducted in the United States show that 60% of crimes that come to the attention of the police result from notification by the victim, while just 37% are reported by others, including bystanders (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1985). It is for this reason that Hindelang and Gottfredson (1976) labeled the victim “the gatekeeper of the criminal justice system.” That victims exercise their discretion to report or not report crimes has been well documented by victimization surveys in many nations. Surveys conducted in the United States (Rennison, 1999), the Netherlands (Van Dijk & Steinmetz, 1979), and Australia (Clifford, 1983) show that less than half of the alleged victimizations are reported to the police.