RT Article
T1 Drawing out perceptions: Using drawing as a method to understand public perceptions of homelessness and crime
JF International review of victimology
VO 30
IS 2
SP 336
OP 357
A1 Long, Fiona Catherine
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1888278994
AB This article considers the ways in which we as a society see victims of crime, particularly those who fall into Miers’ category of ‘delinquent victims’. Focusing on homelessness in the United Kingdom, the article is critical of the ‘victim’ label, which is arguably at odds with real crime victims, yet produces the victims we do see as well as those we do not. While those experiencing homelessness suffer from heightened levels of victimisation, they are also less likely to attain victim status. The following discussion seeks to rationalise this paradox by suggesting that being seen as homeless is somehow incompatible with being seen as a victim. Given the importance of the visual, drawing is employed as a research method to understand public perceptions of homelessness and crime. The resulting visual representations are unanticipated, yet significant, and often omit the crime component entirely, instead focusing on stereotypical representations of homelessness. The article concludes by emphasising the importance of seeing and suggests directions for future research.
K1 Visual methods
K1 Public perceptions
K1 Crime
K1 Drawing
K1 Victim
K1 Homeless
DO 10.1177/02697580231215439