Quand recherche et savoir scientifique cèdent le pas à l’activisme et au parti pris

Résumé

Populaires à la naissance de la victimologie, les études individuelles de victimes de crimes spécifiques ont été éclipsées, dans les années 1970, par des enquêtes de victimisation à grande échelle, l’approche micro cédant alors la place à une approche macro. Le but premier de ces enquêtes consistait à déterminer le volume de victimisation, à identifier la population de victimes, ainsi qu’à établir leurs caractéristiques sociodémographiques. Chacune de ces enquêtes donne une mine d’informations sur les victimes et permet une analyse minutieuse des modèles et des tendances spatiotemporelles pour des types variés de victimisation.

Lors des trois dernières décennies du xx^e siècle, cependant, la victimologie a subi une métamorphose très importante mais aussi inquiétante. La transformation idéologique de la victimologie a été nuisible à l’enrichissement et au progrès de la victimologie scientifique. La mutation idéologique de la victimologie est manifeste dans les conférences et les symposia qui se tiennent en son nom : l’étude des victimes qui cède le pas à l’art de les aider, la sur-identification avec des victimes de crimes, le zèle du missionnaire avec lequel les « intérêts » de la victime sont défendus et poursuivis, etc. Tout cela signale un glissement préoccupant : de savoir scientifique dépassionné, non biaisé et impartial, la victimologie est devenue un plaidoyer politique tombé dans un sectarisme déclaré. Le zèle du missionnaire montré par de nombreux victimologues au nom et dans l’intérêt des victimes de crimes est lourd de dangers. Quelques-uns de ces dangers sont examinés dans le présent article.

Mots-clés :

• Victimologie,
• victimologie activiste,
• victimisation,
• enquêtes de victimisation,
• victimisation confrontationnelle,
• victime catalyseuse,
• victime récidiviste

Abstract

Victimology, the study of the victim, emerged in the second half of the 20^th century as a branch of criminology. Until then criminology was exclusively focused on crime and its perpetrators. But since most crimes are committed against a victim/target the study of the latter offered a holistic approach. It also offered the prospect of transforming the static criminological theories into dynamic theories incorporating the interactions between victim and victimizer and the situational dynamics in confrontational victimizations. The beginnings of Victimology were purely theoretical focusing on the victims of specific crimes, their role and their eventual contribution to the genesis of the crime.

In the 1970’s the micro approach that characterized early Victimology was eclipsed by a macro approach aimed at assessing the volume of victimization, particularly hidden and unreported victimization. Victimization surveys became quite popular and were carried out regionally, nationally and transnationally. They allowed researchers to collect a vast amount of data on crime victims and yielded some very interesting as well as some unexpected findings. The last decades of the 20th century witnessed a major transformation in Victimology. The Victimology of the act gave way to a Victimology of action. The ideological transformation of victimology from the study of the victim into the art of helping victims, the over-identification with crime victims, and the missionary zeal with which the ’interests’ of those victims are defended and pursued are quite manifest in victimology conferences and symposia.

The missionary zeal exhibited by many victimologists on behalf and in the interest of crime victims is fraught with danger. First, it is jeopardizing the quality of scholarship and the scholarly stance of the discipline of victimology. As a result, victimology is increasingly being regarded as a humanitarian and ideological movement rather than a scientific discipline. Secondly, missionary zeal and partisan stance are moving criminal law and the criminal justice system into a punitive, retributive direction. There is also a third danger. Since the victim lobby has chosen to focus on traditional crimes rather than white-collar crime or acts of abuse of power, there has been a distinct shift of focus in research to the former type at the expense of the latter. Victims of white-collar crime, corporate crime and abuse of power have once again been relegated to the shadow. More serious still is yet another danger. In the diligent quest for victims’ rights there seems to be a manifest or latent willingness to sacrifice offenders’ rights. A false contest is thus created between the rights of both groups.

So where is victimology heading ? Science and partisanship are incompatible. Once researchers take sides or become advocates they lose their neutrality, their objectivity and their credibility. This is a fundamental principle that should be seriously considered by those well-intentioned criminologists and victimologists who have adopted the cause of crime victims and who claim to speak on their behalf.

The future of victimology will thus depend on its ability to return back to its original scientific mission, to shed its ideological mantle and to resume its role as a scholarly discipline and as an integral part of criminology. It is the need to separate research from action and science from activism that dictates that victimology be separated from victim policy. To restore its neutrality and to regain and maintain its scientific integrity victimology will have to detach itself from politics and ideology.

Keywords:

• Victimology,
• activist victimology,
• victimization,
• victim surveys,
• confrontational victimization,
• victim precipitation,
• recidivist victim

Resumen

Populares al inicio de la victimología, los estudios individuales de víctimas de crímenes específicos fueron eclipsados en los años 1970 por investigaciones sobre victimización a gran escala : la perspectiva micro dejó su lugar al enfoque macro. El objetivo principal de estas investigaciones fue determinar el volumen de victimización, identificar la población fuente y establecer las características sociodemográficas de las víctimas de crímenes. Cada una de ellas constituye una mina de información sobre las víctimas y permite el análisis minucioso de modelos y de tendencias espaciotemporales para diversos tipos de victimización.

En los tres últimos decenios del siglo xx, la victimología pasó por una metamorfosis tan importante como inquietante : su transformación ideológica se ha convertido en un obstáculo para el enriquecimiento y el avance científicos. La mutación ideológica de la victimología se manifiesta en las conferencias y simposios que se realizan en su nombre : el estudio de las víctimas cede su lugar al arte de ayudarlas, la identificación excesiva con las víctimas de crímenes y el celo de misionero con el que los “intereses” de la víctima se defienden, persiguen, etc. Todo lo cual señala un deslizamiento preocupante : de saber científico desapasionado, objetivo e imparcial, la victimología se ha convertido en un alegato político en ocasiones de un sectarismo declarado. El celo de misionero mostrado por algunos victimólogos en nombre del interés de las víctimas plantea diversos riesgos, algunos de los cuales se analizan en este artículo.

Palabras clave:

• Victimología,
• victimología activista,
• victimización,
• encuestas de victimización,
• victimización confrontacional,
• víctima catalizadora,
• víctima reincidente