Victimization of Special Populations
DOI | 10.1177/0734016817702189 |
Published date | 01 June 2017 |
Author | Lisa R. Muftić |
Date | 01 June 2017 |
Subject Matter | Guest Editor’s Introduction |
Guest Editor’s Introduction
Victimization of Special
Populations
Lisa R. Muftic
´
1,*
Historically, the study of special populations has posed unique challenges to researchers. For
example, members of special populations are sometimes hidden—often due to nonexistent sampling
frames or increased privacy concerns. These barriers to inquiry have hindered knowledge production
resulting in unanswered theoretical, practical, and policy-based questions. Within the criminal
justice system (CJS), special populations are comprised of offenders who exhibit unique physical,
mental, and social characteristics (e.g., sex offenders, offenders with mental health issues, and foster
care youth). The scholarship surrounding the identification and acknowledgment of this diversity
among offenders has called into question the historical CJS “one-size-fits-all” approach to offenders
in terms of programming, policy, and practice. Overall, gaining increased insight into these histori-
cally hidden populations has facilitated the development and implementation of more appropriate
and tailored programming and policy.
Despite the established importance of identifying and studying special populations as they relate
to the CJS, less attention has been directed at crime victims and how diversity potentially impacts the
delivery of victim centered programming and the development of policy. This is unfortunate as more
broad victimization research indicates that an individual’s risk is often tied to their vulnerable social
status (e.g., youth, females, and racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities). Therefore, the goal
of this special issue of Criminal Justice Review is to disseminate new and innovative research that
explores the victimization experiences of those most vulnerable. This special issue includes five
articles that draw attention to the victimization experiences among youth who were involved in
prostitution, youth who reside in foster care, students who identify as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Bisexual,
Gay, Transgender, Queer), female college students, and statutes directed at continuous child sexual
abuse (CSA).
The first article, “Youth Involved in Prostitution (YIP): Exploring Possible Changes in Their
Interactions With Police and Social Service Agencies and Their Narratives of Victimization,”
McMahon-Howard explores how the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (2000), which changed
the view of youth involved in prostitution from juvenile delinquents to victims of sex trafficking,
how prostituted youth have been treated by police and social service agencies. Data were collected
from 26 life history interviews with youth formerly involved in prostitution prior to the Trafficking
1
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA
*
Winner of the 2015 Faculty Researcher of the Year Award for the Division of Victimology (ASC)
Corresponding Author:
Lisa R. Muftic
´, Sam Houston State University, Box 2296, Huntsville, TX 77341, USA.
Email: lmuftic@shsu.edu
Criminal Justice Review
2017, Vol. 42(2) 117-118
ª2017 Georgia State University
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DOI: 10.1177/0734016817702189
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