1. The forgotten victim era: classical criminology and penology centred the offender and the state; the victim was the case's forgotten party (the state "swallowed" the victim's conflict).
2. The rediscovery (1940s–60s): Mendelsohn, von Hentig, Wolfgang — the victim returns as a subject of study (with the era's over-correction: victim-blaming typologies).
3. The victims' rights movement (1970s–): compensation schemes, victim impact statements, services — the state begins to owe duties to the victim.
4. The internationalization (1985–): the UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice forVictims of Crime and Abuse of Power (1985) — the field's Magna Carta: access to justice, restitution, compensation, assistance.
5. The current era: victim-centred justice (especially in trafficking, gender-based violence, and transitional justice), restorative justice's rise, and cyber-victimization's new frontiers.