Suspect vs. Victim — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 13, 2024
A suspect is someone believed to be involved in a crime, while a victim is someone who has suffered harm due to that crime.
Difference Between Suspect and Victim
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A suspect is a person who is under investigation or accused of committing a crime, based on evidence or suspicion. Whereas, a victim is the individual who has suffered harm or injury as a result of the criminal act committed by the suspect or others.
In legal contexts, the suspect may be detained, interrogated, and possibly charged if there is sufficient evidence. On the other hand, the victim may receive legal protections, support services, and may play a key role in the prosecution by providing testimony and evidence.
The treatment of suspects is carefully regulated to protect their rights and ensure a fair legal process. Conversely, victims are often provided with support to cope with the physical, emotional, or financial impacts of the crime.
The presumption of innocence until proven guilty applies to suspects, ensuring they are treated as innocent in the eyes of the law until a conviction is secured. Victims, however, are treated as wronged parties from the outset, and their credibility can be crucial to the case’s outcome.
In the media, suspects are often the subject of speculation and scrutiny, which can influence public perception. Victims, in contrast, are usually portrayed sympathetically, although their privacy rights are sometimes compromised in high-profile cases.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Someone believed to be involved in a crime
Someone who has suffered harm from a crime
Legal rights
Right to a fair trial, presumption of innocence
Right to protection, support services
Role in legal process
May face charges and trial
May provide testimony and evidence
Treatment by media
Subject to scrutiny and speculation
Often portrayed sympathetically
Impact
Legal consequences, public perception
Emotional, physical, financial harm
Compare with Definitions
Suspect
A term used in criminal justice to denote a possible perpetrator.
They had several suspects under surveillance.
Victim
A person harmed by a crime.
The victim was offered counseling after the incident.
Suspect
Individuals linked by evidence to a criminal act.
Fingerprints at the scene pointed to the main suspect.
Victim
The recipient of empathy and support in society.
The community rallied to support the fire's victims.
Suspect
Someone under investigation for a crime.
The suspect was taken in for questioning last night.
Victim
Someone who suffers the consequences of another’s actions.
As a victim of fraud, she was cautious about her financial dealings.
Suspect
A person facing potential legal action.
The suspect hired a lawyer to defend against the charges.
Victim
A key figure in criminal proceedings through their testimony.
The victim testified about the events leading to the assault.
Suspect
In law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person accused or suspected of committing a crime. Police and reporters in the United States often use the word suspect as a jargon when referring to the perpetrator of the offense (perp in dated US slang).
Victim
One who is harmed or killed by another, especially by someone committing a criminal or unlawful act
A victim of a mugging.
Suspect
To consider (something) to be true or probable on little or no evidence
I suspect they are very disappointed.
Victim
A living creature slain and offered as a sacrifice during a religious rite.
Suspect
To have doubts about (something); distrust
I suspect his motives.
Victim
One who is harmed by or made to suffer under a circumstance or condition
Victims of war.
Victims of an epidemic.
Victims of poverty.
Suspect
To consider (a person) guilty without proof
The police suspect her of murder.
Victim
A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of
The victim of a cruel hoax.
Suspect
To have suspicion.
Victim
One that is harmed—killed, injured, subjected to oppression, deceived, or otherwise adversely affected—by someone or something, especially another person or event, force, or condition; in particular:
The youngest victims of the brutal war
Victim of a bad decision by a rushed and overworked judge
Suspect
One who is suspected, especially of having committed a crime.
Victim
One who is harmed or killed by a crime or scam.
Victims of assault; the murderer's victims
Became another victim of the latest scam
Suspect
Open to or viewed with suspicion
A suspect policy.
Suspect motives.
Victim
One who is harmed or killed by an accident or illness.
A fundraiser for victims of AIDS; a victim of a car crash
Suspect
(transitive) To imagine or suppose (something) to be true, or to exist, without proof.
To suspect the presence of disease
Victim
One who is harmed or killed as a result of other people's biases, emotions or incompetence, or their own.
A victim of his own pride; a victim of her own incompetence
The newcomer never managed to make friends, a victim of the town's deep distrust of outsiders
A victim of sexism; victims of a racist system
Suspect
(transitive) To distrust or have doubts about (something or someone).
To suspect the truth of a story
Victim
One who is harmed or killed as a result of a natural or man-made disaster or impersonal condition.
Relief efforts to help victims of the hurricane
Victim of an optical illusion; victim of a string of bad luck
Local businesses were the main victims of the economic downturn
Suspect
(transitive) To believe (someone) to be guilty.
I suspect him of being the thief.
Victim
A living being which is slain and offered as a sacrifice, usually in a religious rite.
Suspect
(intransitive) To have suspicion.
Victim
The transfigured body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
Suspect
To look up to; to respect.
Victim
A living being sacrificed to some deity, or in the performance of a religious rite; a creature immolated, or made an offering of.
Led like a victim, to my death I'll go.
Suspect
A person who is suspected of something, in particular of committing a crime.
Victim
A person or thing destroyed or sacrificed in the pursuit of an object, or in gratification of a passion; as, a victim to jealousy, lust, or ambition.
Suspect
Viewed with suspicion; suspected.
Victim
A person or living creature destroyed by, or suffering grievous injury from, another, from fortune or from accident; as, the victim of a defaulter; the victim of a railroad accident.
Suspect
(nonstandard) Viewing with suspicion; suspecting.
Victim
Hence, one who is duped, or cheated; a dupe; a gull.
Suspect
Suspicious; inspiring distrust.
Suspect [was] his face, suspect his word also.
Victim
An unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
Suspect
Suspected; distrusted.
What I can do or offer is suspect.
Victim
A person who is tricked or swindled
Suspect
Suspicion.
So with suspect, with fear and grief, dismayed.
Victim
An individual eligible for restitution or reparations.
The court awarded compensation to the victim for damages.
Suspect
One who, or that which, is suspected; an object of suspicion; - formerly applied to persons and things; now, only to persons suspected of crime.
Suspect
To imagine to exist; to have a slight or vague opinion of the existence of, without proof, and often upon weak evidence or no evidence; to mistrust; to surmise; - commonly used regarding something unfavorable, hurtful, or wrong; as, to suspect the presence of disease.
Nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little; and therefore men should remedy suspicion by procuring to know more.
From her hand I could suspect no ill.
Suspect
To imagine to be guilty, upon slight evidence, or without proof; as, to suspect one of equivocation.
Suspect
To hold to be uncertain; to doubt; to mistrust; to distruct; as, to suspect the truth of a story.
Suspect
To look up to; to respect.
Suspect
To imagine guilt; to have a suspicion or suspicions; to be suspicious.
If I suspect without cause, why then make sport at me.
Suspect
Someone who is under suspicion
Suspect
A person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused
Suspect
Imagine to be the case or true or probable;
I suspect he is a fugitive
I surmised that the butler did it
Suspect
Regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
Suspect
Hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty;
The U.S. suspected Bin Laden as the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks
Suspect
Not as expected;
There was something fishy about the accident
Up to some funny business
Some definitely queer goings-on
A shady deal
Her motives were suspect
Suspicious behavior
Suspect
A person thought to be guilty of a crime.
The police identified a new suspect in the robbery case.
Common Curiosities
Can a suspect be a victim too?
Yes, a suspect can also be a victim in a different context of the crime.
What support is available for victims?
Victims can access various support services, including legal aid and counseling.
What defines someone as a suspect?
A suspect is defined by their believed involvement in a crime based on evidence or suspicion.
What rights do suspects have?
Suspects have rights such as the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.
How does the media typically portray suspects and victims?
Suspects are often portrayed with scrutiny, while victims receive sympathetic portrayal.
What role does a victim play in a criminal case?
Victims may provide crucial testimony and evidence against the accused.
What happens if a suspect is found not guilty?
They are cleared of charges and their legal status as a suspect ends.
How is a victim identified?
A victim is identified as someone who has suffered harm due to a crime.
How do police determine who is a suspect?
Police determine suspects based on evidence, witness statements, and investigative work.
Are victims always individuals?
Victims can be individuals or groups, such as in cases of public or mass harm.
What is the role of a suspect in a trial?
A suspect becomes a defendant in a trial if charged and is central to the defense.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
