A changing sociopolitical climate that demands tougher treatment of criminals and the growing activism of grassroots groups fighting for victims' rights have spawned important major developments in legislation and criminal justice policies regarding victims' experiences and viewpoints concerning their victimization. These developments have created opportunities for victims of crime to participate in the criminal justice process. To understand the total criminal case, it has become increasingly important to examine the relationship and interaction between criminals and their victims. This collection of twenty-one essays presents illuminating theoretical and empirical studies that focus on various kinds of victimization. The editors provide readers with a balanced sample of works and a valuable introduction to this relatively new and evolving discipline. Also available by David Shichor from Waveland Press: Shichor, The Meaning and Nature of Punishment (ISBN 9781577663874) and Shichor et al., Reflecting on White-Collar and Corporate Crime: Discerning Readings (ISBN 9781577666899). Title of related interest from Waveland Press: Eigenberg, Woman Battering in the United States: Till Death Do Us Part (ISBN 9781577661696).