Te Puna Haumaru Seminar Series - Understanding poly-victimisation through an intersectional lens

To inform preventative policies for reducing poly-victimisation, we conducted a study identifying the intersecting characteristics (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, disability status, sexual identity) of people most at risk of experiencing poly-victimisation in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We used five waves of the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) to conduct Conjunctive Analysis of Case Configurations. This method enabled us to position groups (i.e., combinations of characteristics) as the unit of analysis, identifying where intersecting characteristics were associated with higher rates of poly-victimisation, and isolating when particular characteristics were especially noteworthy.

This research is the first research to focus on poly-victimisation in Aotearoa New Zealand and adds to the scant evidence base on poly-victimisation internationally.

The results align with empirical findings in other countries showing that risk of re-victimisation increases cumulatively, hence the need for policies that prevent further victimisation at the earliest opportunity. Accordingly, the findings are relevant for policymakers developing victimisation prevention programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand.

SPEAKER
Dr Lisa Tompson is an Associate Professor at Te Puna Haumaru New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science. She has worked in the field of crime science for over 15 years, and before that she was a Police Crime Analyst. Dr Tompson was awarded her MSc. and Ph.D. in Crime Science from University College London, where she worked as a researcher, and then as an academic. Dr Tompson is known for her research with crime reduction agencies. She is committed to exploring and testing ways to reduce crime that move away from depending on the criminal justice system.