The Victimology : O.J. Simpson Case

The double murder of N. Simpson (Brown) and R. Goldman committed by O.J. Simpson became one of the most publicized criminal case in the US in the late 20th century. The case drew the public and media attention and had the full media coverage. At the same time, the case involved the crime committed by the offensive spouse in regard to his ex-wife, but the investigation of the case revealed that numerous cases of stalking and domestic violence preceded the murder. O.J. Simpson suffered from regular violence, abuse, and threats from the part of her husband and ultimately decided to file for divorce to escape from that violence. However, she could not escape from him and ultimately their relationships resulted in the bloody murder of O.J. Simpson and R. Goldman. The double murder turned out to be the result of numerous cases of violence committed by O.J. Simpson that means that the murder was not a spontaneous or unexpected act but was the last act in sequence of violent acts. Therefore, the murder was predictable but the law enforcement and criminal justice system failed to prevent the crime and prevent O.J. Simpson from violent actions in time, before he committed the double murder.

Critical stages in the laws for stalking and intimate violence

The stalking and intimate violence legislation remained under-developed and legislators neglected the problem for a long time. The appearance of the anti-stalking legislation dates back to the 1990s, when the first anti-stalking legislation was introduced in 1990 in California, but steadily, other states also adopted anti-stalking laws. Anti-stalking laws vary greatly from state to state, with some requiring a minimum of two acts (or other proof that the event was not an isolated occurrence) and others specifying that the threat of harm must be imminent (Dear, 1979). Some states also classify activities such as lying-in-wait, surveillance, and non-consensual communication as stalking (Siegel, 2015). Nevertheless, all states impose the legal liability for predators, who commit violent acts against their intimate partners.

Correlations between stalking, intimate violence, and homicide

Stalking and intimate violence are closely related because, as a rule, stalking involves or leads to the intimate violence (Bursik, 1988). Stalking usually involves: repeated threatening or harassing behaviors, such as phone calls; following or shadowing a person; appearing at a person’s home or place of employment; vandalizing property; and any other activity that makes a person fear for his or her safety (Kelin, 1986). Intimate partner violence is domestic violence by a current or former spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. Intimate partner violence can take a number of forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic and sexual abuse (Kelin, 1986). Homicide is the murder of a person by another person (Kelin, 1986). These crimes are different but often they are closely intertwined, especially this is the case of stalking and intimate violence. Stalking triggers domestic violence. Domestic violence often begins with stalking, when the partner starts threatening the spouse or partner as was the case of O.J. Simpson in regard to his wife N. Simpson. Verbal threats and abusive behavior led to frequent cases of domestic violence, while the regular domestic violence ultimately led to the murder of N. Simpson committed by O.J. Simpson. The murder is not always the consequence of domestic violence, but domestic violence increases the risk of the murder being committed because the perpetrator grows accustomed to the violence against the victim and, at certain point, the perpetrator simply fails to stop and crosses the red line between the mere violence and violence that causes severe injuries and death of the victim. Moreover, the defenseless position of the victim increases the aggression of the perpetrator because the perpetrator starts believing that he/she will not suffer any punishment for his/her actions.

The victimology v. criminological theory in the Simpson case

Victimology offers a variety of theories that may explain the behavior of O.J. Simpson with regard to his ex-wife Nicole Brown (Simpson). In this regard, the Routine Activities Theory is the most plausible theory that may be applied to the case of Simpson. This theory holds the premise that the volume and distribution of predatory crime (violent crimes against a person and crimes in which an offender attempts to steal an object directly) are closely related to the interaction of three variables that reflect the routine activities of the typical American lifestyle:

1. The availability of suitable targets, such as homes containing easily saleable goods

2. The absence of capable guardians, such as police, homeowners, neighbors, friends, and relatives

Even the most desperate criminal might hesitate to attack a well-defended target…

…an undefended yet attractive target (not referring to sexual) becomes an irresistible objective for motivated criminals.

3. The presence of motivated offender (Siegel, 2015).

In case of O.J. Simpson and N.Simpson, the latter was the suitable target because she was female, wife and just physically weak person, who could not resist to O.J. Simspon. N. Simpson did not have a capable guardian, who could stop the offender. Police failed to stop O.J. Simpson. Other people were also of no help to her. O.J. Simpson was a motivated offender because N. Simpson filed for divorce and attempted to escape form his tyranny and abuse.

Criminology theorists develop the idea that a complete picture of crime or deviance cannot be attained by merely examining offenders and their characteristics; instead, a complete picture of deviance must also reveal societal reactions to incidents of rule-breaking (Siegel, 2015). Such a view on crimes contributed to the rise of the Labeling theory which refers to crimes as acts committed by individuals on the ground of social biases and stereotypes which make the commitment of crimes possible for them. In case of Simpsons, O.J. Simpson could simply be vulnerable to the impact of male-female and husband-wife relationships which traditionally involved the superior position of men and inferiority of women. Such social biases could influence the perception of his actions as just and reasonable from his point of view as a dominant man. On the other hand, the victim N. Simpson was also vulnerable to biases and stereotypes and perceived herself as a victim. At this point, the public also slips to the biased perception of male-female relations in intimate partnership, since the public traditionally views males as predators and abusers, while people perceive women as victims.

Lethality or danger assessments

The case of Simpson involved double murder and law enforcement agencies and victim advocacy centers basically agreed that the death of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman was the case of the double murder committed by O.J. Simpson as the consequence of the systematic stalking and domestic violence. At t the same time, the assessments of the crime by enforcement agencies and victim advocacy centers are important for the adequate assessment of the crime and enforcement agencies and victim advocacy centers contribute to the expert opinion on the case and adequate assessment of the scope and severity of the crime.

The lethality signs that were present before Nicole’s murder were frequent cases of domestic violence and threats of violence from the part of O.J. Simpson in relation to his wife. For example, N. Simpson called police eight times before the murder. During her last call to the police on n 25 October 1993, she was recorded crying and saying that “[Simpson] is going to beat the shit out of me” (Dear, 2012).  This is why the victim was aware of the great risks and threats to her life and health and called the police reportedly.

Moreover, the major evidence of the possible lethality of the case was the divorce of spouses after seven years in marriage and two children they had. The divorce was apparently the last desperate attempt of N. Simpson to save her life and escape from the violence and possible lethal outcome of her violent and abusive relationships with O.J. Simpson. In a way, their divorce was the last call which put their relationships on the edge and ultimately led to the lethal outcome, as N. Simpson and R. Goldman.

While conducting the lethality or danger assessment of the case, it is possible to raise five questions that would be the most relevant questions to ask a victim in a dangerous intimate relationship in order to assist in determining the threat level of the partner:

1) Have you ever suffered violent acts being committed by your intimate partner?

2) Have you ever being threatened by your intimate partner verbally or physically?

3) Is your intimate partner incline to aggressive behavior?

4) Is your intimate partner is capable to self-control when growing nervous/agitated?

5) Do you believe your intimate partner is capable to murder?

These questions allow measuring the degree of aggression and capability of the intimate partner to commit a homicide as well as reveal the awareness of the victim with regard to risks and threats he/she is potentially exposed to.  This question reveal the presence of aggression in the behavior of the intimate partner, violent acts being committed by the intimate partner, and the capability of the intimate partner to commit such grave crimes as homicide.

Conclusion

Thus, the case of the murder of N. Simpson and R. Goldman committed by O.J. Simpson reveals devastating effects of stalking and domestic violence, when the issue remains unaddressed properly by law enforcement agencies and criminal justice because N. Simpson was the victim, who suffered the systematic abuse from the part of O.J. Simpson, her ex-husband, and such systematic violence ultimately resulted in her death and death of R. Goldman. The crime was committed on the ground of the long lasting violent and abuse relationships between spouses, but the victim failed to receive any adequate protection from the part of law enforcement agencies because her eight calls to the police before the murder remained without any effect and O.J. Simpson carried on committing violent acts against her wife regardless of calls to the police and actions undertaken by the law enforcement agency against him. This means that measures of the law enforcement and criminal justice system turned out to be ineffective in terms of the prevention of the double homicide. Hence, this case reveals the danger of victimization which leads to no effects on the predator, especially if the predator is the intimate partner of the victim.

References:

Bursik, R. J. Jr. (1988). “Social Disorganization and Theories of Crime and Delinquency: Problems and Prospects, Criminology, 26 (4), 519–539.

Dear, W. C. (2012). O.J. is Innocent and I Can Prove It: The Shocking Truth about the Murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. 

Cohen, L. and Felson, M. (1979). Social Change and Crime Rate Trends”. American Sociological Review, American Sociological Association, 44 (4), 588–608. 

Kelin, M. (March 1986). Labeling Theory and Delinquency Policy: An Experimental Test, Criminal Justice & Behavior, 13 (1), 47–79

Siegel, L. (2015). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies. Cengage Learning. 

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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