ABSTRACT
It goes without saying that any criminal justice system will be preoccupied with the behaviour, the punishment and the rehabilitation of the criminal. The behaviour of the criminal has been the particular focus of criminology, although work in this area overlaps with a number of academic disciplines, including sociology and psychology. As regards the punishment of offenders, the different aims of and justifications for punishment, whether they be essentially retributive or reformative, have sparked continued philosophical debate. However, this academic obsession with the criminal has been at the expense of detailed consideration of the victim. Indeed, the victim often seems to be added to criminological theorizing and debate merely out of politeness or political correctness. The consequences of this omission are important. The lack of academic interest has left the victim in the dark – a situation that has led to a good deal of public policy making not being informed by the needs, wants and status of the victim within the criminal justice system.
