SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis can help to identify internal and external factors that can help or hinder organization or program success. A SWOT analysis organizes the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of an organization or program. The identification of weaknesses and threats indicates factors that have a negative impact to the organization or program and need to be addressed. Strengths and opportunities are factors that have a positive impact on the organization or program and should be maintained. Directions: Complete the matrix for your practicum organization or program. After completing, answer the questions on page 2 of this document. Positive Impact Negative Impact Internal Strengths: Weaknesses: External Opportunities: Threats: Answer the following questions regarding your SWOT analysis: 1. How can weaknesses be converted into strengths? 2. Can strengths be used to overcome threats? How? 3. How can opportunities be maximized? 4. How can weaknesses be minimized? © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Study Guide To begin the study of victimology, it is important to understand what it is. In the simplest of terms, victimology is the study of victims or the victims of a certain type of offender, and this field emerged in the 1940s and 1950s (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). It focuses on the victim, the offender, and society with both a research and a scientific basis. The idea of what a victim truly is can sometimes be hard to define. Sometimes, being a victim is based on the law, involving injury, conduct, or fault. Primitive laws set the following guidelines: Acts that injured others were considered wrong. The injured party was entitled to take action against wrongdoer. In-kind retaliation was typically action taken. The Code of Hammurabi was one of the first attempts to establish some type of written code of conduct. This code actually had a concern for victims’ rights, which sometimes, even in present day law, are forgotten. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s that the U.S. Supreme Court established principles related to the constitutional rights of individuals that were both procedural and civil in nature (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). Understanding the criminal justice system is an important element in understanding victimology. Many people have been victimized or feel victimized once they become involved in the justice system. In early history, state courts took care of most cases; later on, the federal system began to have jurisdiction over crimes and civil matters, and therefore, our system is dual and consists of state and federal courts. Both parts of our court system are based on the principles of federalism and geography or type of case to distinguish the jurisdiction of the court. Within the court system, you will find state, federal, and juvenile courts. Within the criminal justice (CJ.

1. SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis can help to identify internal and external
factors that can help or hinder organization or program success.
A SWOT analysis organizes the Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats of an organization or program. The
identification of weaknesses and threats indicates factors that
have a negative impact to the organization or program and need
to be addressed. Strengths and opportunities are factors that
have a positive impact on the organization or program and
should be maintained.
Directions: Complete the matrix for your practicum
organization or program. After completing, answer the
questions on page 2 of this document.
Positive Impact
Negative Impact
Internal
Strengths:

2. Weaknesses:
External
Opportunities:
Threats:
Answer the following questions regarding your SWOT analysis:
1. How can weaknesses be converted into strengths?
2. Can strengths be used to overcome threats? How?

3. 3. How can opportunities be maximized?
4. How can weaknesses be minimized?
© 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
© 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Study Guide
To begin the study of victimology, it is important to understand
what it is. In the simplest of terms, victimology is the study of
victims or the victims of a certain type of offender, and this
field emerged in the 1940s and 1950s (Wallace & Roberson,
2015). It focuses on the victim, the offender, and society with
both a research and a scientific basis. The idea of what a victim
truly is can sometimes be hard to define. Sometimes, being a
victim is based on the law, involving injury, conduct, or fault.
Primitive laws set the following guidelines: Acts that injured
others were considered wrong. The injured party was entitled to
take action against wrongdoer. In-kind retaliation was typically
action taken. The Code of Hammurabi was one of the first
attempts to establish some type of written code of conduct. This
code actually had a concern for victims’ rights, which
sometimes, even in present day law, are forgotten. It was not

4. until the 1960s and 1970s that the U.S. Supreme Court
established principles related to the constitutional rights of
individuals that were both procedural and civil in nature
(Wallace & Roberson, 2015). Understanding the criminal justice
system is an important element in understanding victimology.
Many people have been victimized or feel victimized once they
become involved in the justice system. In early history, state
courts took care of most cases; later on, the federal system
began to have jurisdiction over crimes and civil matters, and
therefore, our system is dual and consists of state and federal
courts. Both parts of our court system are based on the
principles of federalism and geography or type of case to
distinguish the jurisdiction of the court. Within the court
system, you will find state, federal, and juvenile courts. Within
the criminal justice (CJ) process, there are typical parties or
agencies you will encounter (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). These
include the following: the victim, the perpetrator, law
enforcement, the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the courts,
and the correctional system. Each of these actors or parts of the
criminal justice system work together for the criminal trial
procedures. They work together on pleas and function to make
the justice system flourish and work appropriately. UNIT I
STUDY GUIDE History of Victims CMJ 3307, Victimology 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Aside from understanding how
the court process works, it is also important to understand how
crime is measured and the effects of such reports. The Uniform
Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Incident-Based
Reporting System (NCVS) are the most commonly referred to
crime reports used by agencies and academics. The UCR is
nationwide, and the FBI is in charge of it. More than 1600 city,
county, and state agencies contribute to its data. The NCVS is
completed by the National Institute of Justice. Every three years
this reporting system completes interviews to capture the dark
side of crime: that which is not reported through the UCR. The
NCVS is a form of self-reporting that uses questionnaires and
invites respondents to discuss whether they were involved in

5. offenses that are listed (Wallace & Roberson, 2015). Being
familiar with the court process, the history behind the courts,
the legislation involved with victims, and how crime
victimization data is collected is all pertinent to understanding
the concept of victimology. This concept will assist you in the
field in multiple ways. It is important to understand the victim
behind a crime, not just who committed the crime, in order to be
a good practitioner.
Reference
Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2015). Victimology: Legal,
psychological, and social perspectives (4th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.