Victims of Crime - The Trauma Of Being Victimized

Becoming a crime victim can have serious consequences—outcomes the victim neither asks for nor deserves. A victim rarely expects to be victimized and seldom knows where to turn. Victims may end up in the hospital to be treated and released, or they may be confined to bed for days, weeks, or longer. Injuries may be temporary, or they may be permanent and forever change the way the victim liv…

Victims of Crime - Fear Of Becoming A Victim

The fear of becoming a victim is often much greater than the likelihood of being one. Fear of crime has permeated our society so completely that it plays a daily role in our lives. In Perceptions of Neighborhood Crime, 1995 (Carol J. DeFrances and Steven K. Smith, Washington, D.C., 1998), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported that about 7.3 percent of U.S. households believed that crime …

Victims of Crime - The National Crime Victimization Survey

In 1972 the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration established the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The survey is an annual federal statistical study that measures the levels of victimization resulting from criminal activity in the United States. The survey was previously known as the National Crime Survey, but it was renamed to emphasize the measurement of victimization experienced …

Victims of Crime - A General Downturn In Crime

Victims of Crime - How Many Victimizations In 2002?

The figures for 2002 show a continued decline in the crime rate. In 2002 U.S. residents ages 12 and older were the victims of approximately 23 million crimes, down by almost 12 percent from the 25.9 million victimizations in 2000. About 17.5 million were property crimes. Another 5.4 million were violent crimes. Victimization rates for both violent crimes and property crimes were down for 2002, wit…

Victims of Crime - Characteristics Of Victims

Males are more likely than females to become victims of violent crime. In 2002, 26.1 of every 1,000 white males were victimized by violent crime, compared to 20.9 per 1,000 white females. For black males the rate was 29.3 per 1,000, compared to 27.9 per 1,000 black females. In every category except rape/sexual assault, men were more likely than women to be victimized. (See Table 3.4.) While teenag…

Victims of Crime - When And Where Does Violent Crime Happen?

Crime may also occur in any place. According to the NCVS, in 2002 nearly one-third (31.7 percent) of violent crime incidents occurred at or near the victim's residence. Other common locales for crime were schools (15.1 percent), commercial establishments (11.3 percent), and parking lots and garages (7.6 percent). Most victims of crime were engaged in activities at home (26.3 percent), while…

Victims of Crime - Trends In Victimization

The NCVS, like the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, found that the overall level of crime decreased from 1973 FIGURE 3.2 Adolescent victims and nonvictims of violence, percentage expected to experience adult problem outcomes to 2000. (Although the 1993–2000 survey results cannot be directly compared to earlier statistics, adjusted data can be used to highlight trends.) More than 41…

Victims of Crime - Cost Of Victimization

Several different ways are available for a crime victim to consider his or her loss. Direct costs to the victim are easy to pinpoint, but indirect costs must be shared by the entire society (the expenses of the criminal justice system, for instance). In 2002 victims suffered a total economic loss of some $15.5 billion to crime. This amount refers to the actual loss of property and not to such addi…

Victims of Crime - Victim Services And Assistance

Interest in assisting victims first developed in the United States as a desire for restitution (monetary compensation) to be paid to a victim by the offender. Restitution for criminal acts has a long history, dating back to biblical times. The Bible often cites money payments for injuries, and this practice continued well into the Middle Ages. Around 1100, England's Henry I began to take a …

Victims of Crime - Victims' Rights

Victims' rights include the right to attend criminal proceedings, to be notified of proceedings such as parole hearings, and to be free from harassment. The victims' rights movement became active through the 1980s and 1990s. While the movement did not seek to reduce the rights of the accused, it wanted the system to acknowledge that victims also have rights. As a result of this move…

Victims of Crime - Federal Actions

In 1982 Congress enacted the Federal Victim and Witness Protection Act, a bill designed to protect and assist victims and witnesses of federal crimes. The law permits victim-impact statements in sentencing hearings to provide judges with information concerning financial, psychological, or physical harm suffered by victims. The law also provides for restitution for victims and prevents victims and/…