Dr. Thomas Vander Ven
Dr. Thomas Vander Ven presented a paper on “Making a Scene: Sociological Observations on the use of Dramaturgical Strategies to Reduce Sexual Victimization Risk on Campus” at the Southern Criminal Justice Association conference in New Orleans this fall.
Vander Ven is Professor of Sociology at Ohio University.
The Southern Criminal Justice Association is a regional organization affiliated with the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. SCJA is a professional association serving criminal justice educators, researchers, practitioners, and students committed to the ongoing development of criminal justice science and practice. Membership in SCJA facilitates professional development and interaction.
Each year is highlighted by the annual conference that rotates to a different location within the region. The conference provides opportunities to access the most current research findings on a wide range of criminal justice related topics. Members participate by presenting papers in panels and in roundtable discussions. Social receptions and activities provide members an opportunity for professional fellowship and the friendly atmosphere welcomes student participation. This year’s theme: “The Criminal Justice Milieu in the South.”
Abstract: Traditional bystander intervention programs locate helping behavior within individual actors who vary in terms of their intentions to help others, in their degree of willingness to take responsibility for helping those at risk, and in the skills and resources they draw upon to effectively intervene. While typical programs recognize the social obstacles to effective intervention, few intervention training models recognize that bystander intervention is a social process involving a complex, negotiated interaction between interveners, potential victims, and social audiences. Drawing from focus group interviews with high-risk college student groups, we suggest that interventions are interactional performances that are often driven by prepared social scripts and negotiated through social role playing. Implications for programming are discussed.
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