Victims of Crime - Characteristics Of Victims

Gender

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.)

Age

While teenagers and young adults were more likely than older persons to become victims of violent crime, the rates for all age groups have been falling. In 2000 the rate for teenagers 12 to 15 years of age was 60.1 per 1,000; the rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was 64.4 per 1,000; and the rate for 20- to 24-year-olds was 49.5. These rates were lower than rates during the previous 17 years. (See Table 3.5.) The rates fell even lower by 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In that year the rate for those 12-15 years of age was 44.4 per 1,000; the rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was 58.2; and the rate for 20- to 24-year-olds was 47.4. Older adults were least likely to be victims of violent crimes. Individuals 50 to 64 years of age had a rate of 10.7 per 1,000, and the rate for those 65 and over was 3.4 per 1,000.

According the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Washington, D.C.), research has shown that there can be long-term consequences to being victimized as an adolescent. When compared to adults who were not victimized as adolescents, adults who were adolescent victims were more likely to have drug problems and more likely to perpetrate violence. (See Figure 3.2.) They also committed more acts of domestic violence and were more often victims of domestic violence than adults who were not victimized as adolescents. In addition, they were almost twice as likely to become adult victims of violent crime.

Race and Ethnicity

In 2002 blacks were more likely than whites or persons of other races to be victims of most types of violent crimes. (See Table 3.3.) Hispanics experienced higher rates of violent victimization than non-Hispanics for robberies and personal theft, but lower rates in rape/sexual abuse and assaults.

For every 1,000 households in 2002, 157.6 white households, 173.7 black households, and 139.8 households of other races were victims of property crimes. The highest rate of burglaries occurred among black households (41.3 per 1,000), while the rates for white households (26 per 1,000) and households of other races (19.4 per 1,000) were considerably lower. Black households also experienced more motor vehicle thefts and general thefts. Hispanic households (17.7 per 1,000) were more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic households (8.0 per 1,000) to suffer a motor vehicle theft. (See Table 3.6.)

Income, Marital Status, and Area

INCOME.

The less money that people or households earn, the more likely they are to become victims of violent crime. In 2002 the very poor (earning less than $7,500 annually) suffered violent crime at a higher rate (45.5 per 1,000 persons) than any other income group and more than double the rate for those earning $75,000 or more (19.0 per 1,000). Property crime rates for those earning less than $7,500 per year were also more elevated than those in higher income categories. (See Table 3.7.)

MARITAL STATUS.

In 2002 the violent crime rate for persons who never married (43.3 per 1,000) was nearly four times higher than the rate for married people (10.6 per 1,000). The rate for divorced or separated persons (30.7 per 1,000) was almost three times higher than the rate for married people. The victimization rates for rape/sexual assault, robbery, and both kinds of assault (aggravated and simple) were significantly higher for never-married, divorced, or separated persons than for married or widowed persons. (See Table 3.8.)

REGIONS AND TYPES OF RESIDENCE.

Those living in the West and in urban areas are more likely to be victimized by property crimes. In 2002, 219.9 of every 1,000

TABLE 3.4
Number of victimizations and victimization rates for persons age 12 and over, by crime type, gender, and race of victims, 2002

households in the West, and 215.3 per 1,000 urban households experienced property crimes. Rates in all categories of property crime in the West and in urban locations were higher than rates in other regions and locations. The lowest rates were found in rural areas (118.3 per 1,000 households), while the Northeast had the lowest rate for property crimes (117.0). (See Table 3.9.)

Victim/Offender Relationship

In 2002 strangers were often the most common perpetrators of violent crimes. Strangers accounted for 14.3 per 1,000 violent crimes for males, the largest rate for all relationship categories, but only 6.4 per 1,000 for female violent crime victims, the highest for females being persons well-known to them (7.0 per 1,000). For black victims of violent crime, 11.3 per 1,000 were committed by strangers, while the white rate for strangers was 10.2 per 1,000. For all groups of violent crime victims, relatives were least likely to be the assailants. (See Table 3.10.) Strangers were more likely to use a weapon in committing a violent crime than were persons known to the victim. Firearms were used by strangers in 11.3 percent of violent crimes, while non-strangers used a firearm only 3.2 percent of the time. (See Table 3.11.)