Crime victims are some of the most important subjects in American politics today. They serve as the emotional anchors of criminal justice policy, memorialized in legislation such as Megan’s Law and Jessica’s Law. Since the 1970s, thousands of organizations, mostly nonprofits, were founded to serve victims’ needs. Together, they have crystalized into a full-fledged victims’ rights movement. These organizations offer direct services and lobby government for policies that would aid victims. Many also lobby government for policies that penalize offenders, aligning themselves more with the punitive criminal justice system.

The primary objective of the class will be to conduct exploratory research on the scale, scope, and reach of the victims’ rights movement. Who are the key players, where did they come from, who funds their organizations, and do they focus more on services for victims or punishment for offenders? We will create a database of victims’ service organizations and code their websites for themes about race, gender, crime, and punishment. We will also read literature about the movement and plan interviews with key movement leaders.

This is a hands-on course for students interested in doing original social science research for credit, and—in addition to organizational studies students—should be particularly relevant to those interested in sociology, law, political science, or public policy. Permission of the instructor is required, but no specific background is needed.

Class Format:

OS 490 is scheduled to meet 1-4pm EST on Fridays.

The 1-2:30pm portion of the class will meet synchronously and virtually. The remaining portion of the class, originally scheduled for 2:30-4pm, will be conducted virtually and asynchronously. Fully asynchronous options are available with the permission of the instructor.