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WSV Laureates, Presidents, and other Honors

Honorary Members
Honorary Membership is awarded to an individual, to honor his or her progress and also significant accomplishment in the victimological field. The Honorary Membership is decided by the Executive Committee and is awarded by the President or Secretary General.

• Willem Hendrik Nagel
• Henri Ellengerger
• Beniamin Mendelson
• Israel Drapkin
• Elias Neuman

Hans von Hentig Award Winners
This award is the highest award our Society can give and is presented in remembrance of the famous pioneer of Victimology, Hans von Hentig. It is ordinarily presented every 3 years to a person, who has made a significant contribution in the field of Victimology. Each member of the Society may nominate a candidate to the President. Before each Symposium convenes, the Executive Committee decides who will receive the award.

• Israel Drapkin, Israel (1982)   
• Marlene Young, USA (1985)  
• Marvin Wolfgang, USA (1988)  
• Beniamin Mendelsohn, Israel (1991)  
• Irene Melup, USA (1994) ((USA)  
• Luis Rodrìguez Manzanera, Mexico (1997)  
• Zvonimir Paul Šeparović, Croatia (2000)  
• Jan van Dijk, Netherlands (2003)  
• Hans Joachim Schneider (2006) 

Certificates of Appreciation
This Award is given to deserving individuals to recognize major accomplishments and/or special events significant to the field of Victimology. This Award is decided upon by the Executive Committee and signed by the President and the Secretary General. This Award may be presented as often as deemed appropriate. Nominations for this Award must be made in writing to the President and may only be from a member in good standing of the Society.

• Beniamin Mendelsohn, Israel (1982)   
• John P.J. Dussich, USA (1985)  
• Chris Sumner, Australia (1987)  
• Irene Melup, USA (1988)  
• Heber Vargas, Brazil (1991)  
• Hilda Marchiori, Argentina (1991)  
• Elias Neuman, Argentina (1994)  
• V.R. Krishna Iyer, India (1994)  
• Ray Withrod (1994)  
• Hidemichi Morosawa, japan (1997)  
• Wesley G. Skogan, USA (2000)  
• Marc Groenhuijzen, Netherlands (2003)
• John Stein (2007)

Presidents

• 1979-1985 Hans Joachim Schneider, Germany  
• 1985-1988 Zvonimir Paul Šeparović, Croatia  
• 1988-1991 Koichi Miyazawa, Japan  
• 1991-1994 Chris Sumner, Australia  
• 1994-1997 Irvin Waller, Canada  
• 1997-2000 Jan van Dijk, Netherlands  
• 2000-2003 Gerd Ferdinand Kirchhoff, Germany  
• 2003-2006 Marlene A. Young, USA  
• 2006-2009 John P.J.Dussich, USA 
  

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Dr. jur. Dr. hc. Hans Joachim Schneider is Prof. Emeritus of the University of Muenster, psychologist and lawyer.

In 1975 he wrote the first German textbook on victimology, a bestseller that was quickly sold out. He is not a man of loud words - , a scientist with clear thoughts and with a clear language. The pioneers of victimology - he knows them all from many meetings and visits - a personal friend of Hans von Hentig and Marvin Wolfgang.

He organized the 3rd International Symposium in Muenster. Here we founded the WSV.  A courageous man -  one day before the opening of the 1979 symposium, there is no clarity whether he personally is to pay the bill of 200 000 dollars preparation costs for the symposium or not - to his relief a telegram from the government granted this sum.

He served six years as Founding President. For over a decade he is the Treasurer of WSV. He attended all symposia on victimology except 2003. He was advisor to all of them.

For him, victimology is part of criminology. He is one of the main bridges to connect the social science oriented American criminology with Europe. His texts are translated into Spanish, Russian, Japanese, French, English, Polish. He worked as expert and advisor  to the UN. For a long time, he served the  Council of Europe. Under his guidance, WSV became the platform for Irvin Waller, LeRoy Lamborn and their team to launch the UN Declaration of Basic Principles for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power that will now become a Convention.  His works are well known in Europe, Asia and Latin America. In Asia, especially in the Asian UN Institute in Fuju, he lectured on victimology many times. You can follow his victimological itinerary through all continents. For the glorious 2000 symposium in Montreal, he wrote his comprehensive report on the state of victimology in the world.  An expert in hate victimization, genocide and school bullying, he unraveled the victimological essence of these phenomena.

The international community of scholars honors him with two Festschrifts, one of them is the Festschrift of the Executive Committee.

A scientist of great quality, already in 1976 he involved himself actively in victim assistance.  He is one of the founders of the German Victim Assistance Organization "Weiser Ring" - a social movement that now has more than 60,000 members.

The World Society of Victimology honors today the international scientist, the prominent citizen of this our world of victimology, our Founder President.  We honor him with the precious award of the World Society, with the Hans von Hentig Award.

Congratulations, dear Hans.