Kevin McLaughlin
COR1923 450: Introduction to Criminology
Professor Jennifer Zubick
Date
Services for Victims of Crime
Persons who suffer from a loss of or damage to property, emotional or physical harm or financial loss as result of the commision of an offence are victims of the offence commited. As such these individuals under current legislations are entitled to assistive services and/or programs. This study shall look at services and programs available to those individuals who have become victims to the growing issue of Fentanyl trafficking. This issue has multiple facets when identifying its victimolgy as it has many bi-lateral victims.
“Upper Ottawa Valley OPP have charged 11 people following a major drug bust in Pembroke. Police say they executed two search warrants at homes on William Street last week. They reportedly found suspected fentanyl and cocaine, along with scales, money, drug paraphernalia and cell phones.” (myFM News, Jan 31,2024)
Identifying the Victims
Drug trafficking has many victims from the general public to even those who are directly involved in the actual act of traffickingi. Crime related to this endeavour range from property related damage, theft, human trafficking, home invasion, homicide, threats, money laundering to name a few. With such a wide range of offences it may become difficult to assess who is the victim and who is the offender when they can be one in the same. The trafficker may not be a willing participant, they may be a victim as well. For example the individual selling the drugs at street level may only be doing so as a result of threats against their person made as a result of an indebtedness to the dealer they once procured drugs from for their own drug habit. That same victim may as a result of this indebtedness perpetrate other offences such as theft in order to get out of debt. In summary what can be done here if the committer of the offence is also the victim of said offence. The technical terminology for this is the victim-offender overlapii In this instance we need to shift our way of thinking and recognize that although yes this person may have committed this offence but they may also be a victim to it as well. I wish I could find some study done to co-relate my work here however none seem to exist. And this in itself I believe is a problem. It means that no one of note feels that this merits a case study, no one of note recognizes the need to deal with the victim offender overlap that exists within the drug trade.
Assessing the Need For Victim Services
Let’s talk about what is available for services for victims of crime bearing in mind that persons involved may also be victims of it as well. First and foremost is the Victims Fundiii This is primarily to assist setting up programming by facilitators who in turn are able to use that resource to provide aid to victims. Without this aid many of the programs available would not be possible. In relation to drug use in itself several resources are available such as the Addictions Treatment Helplines in Canadaiv or Wellness Togetherv both are good starting points and have the ability to point some one to a more local resource for assistance. For example in the Pembroke area there is the Renfrew County Addiction Treatment Systemvi which can facilitate a road to recovery.
Conclusion
Identifying the victims of drug trafficking can be challenging. Even more so when one considers the overlap between its victims and its perpetrators. Drug trafficking has far reaching implications, it reaches into the sex trade, human trafficking, organized crime, terrorism in all forms. It is a domestic and international issue. While we must deal with the implications of committed offences I also believe we have the need to deal with the very real possibility that those who commit drug related offenses are very well indeed its victims.
ihttps://www.grc-rcmp.gc.ca/en/news/2023/rcmp-rnc-jfo-west-talks-impacts-drug-trafficking-including-increased-violent-crimes-and
iihttps://www.victimsfirst.gc.ca/res/pub/ROV-ROV/index.html#_Toc121406416
iiihttps://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fund-fina/cj-jp/fund-fond/index.html#:~:text=The%20Victims%20Fund%20provides%20grants,available%20to%20victims%20of%20crime
ivhttps://www.ccsa.ca/addictions-treatment-helplines-canada
Unplugged Pagan 