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Crime characteristics
Summary
findings | BJS publications | Selected
statistics |
Also by BJS staff | Related sites
Summary findings
- Violent
Crime
- Trends
| Victim/offender relationship | Time
|
Place | Weapon use |
Role of alcohol
- Property
Crime
- Trends
| Home ownership| Region
| Urban, suburban, rural
Violent
Crime
Violent crime includes murder, rape and sexual assault,
robbery, and assault
Trends
Violent crime rates have declined since 1994, remained the lowest level ever
recorded by the National Crime Victimization Survey in 2003.
See trends for Murder,
Rape, Robbery,
Assault
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Victim/offender relationship
Males were
more likely to be violently victimized by a stranger, and females were more likely
to be victimized by a friend, an acquaintance, or an intimate.
During 2003 --
- About seven in ten female rape or sexual assault victims stated
the offender was an intimate, other relative, a friend or an acquaintance.
- Sixty-two percent of males and 45% of females stated the individual(s)
who robbed them was a stranger.
Violence against
men and women by friends/acquaintances and strangers and intimate
partner violence against females fell significantly between 1993 and
1998.
Family members
were most likely to murder a young child -- About one in five child
murders was committed by a family member -- while a friend or acquaintance
was most likely to murder an older child age 15 to 17.
Intimates were
identified by the victims of workplace violence as the perpetrator
in about 1% of all workplace violent crime. About 40% of the victims
of nonfatal violence in the workplace reported that they knew their
offender.
For murder victims, 43% were related to or acquainted with their assailants;
14% of victims were murdered by strangers, while 43% of victims had
an unknown relationship to their murderer in 2002.
Intimate
violence
- In 2002, women
experienced an estimated 494,570 rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated
assault and simple assault victimizations at the hands of an intimate,
down from 1.1 million in 1993. In 1993, men were victims of about 160,000
violent crimes by an intimate partner, and in 2002 men were victims of about 72,520
violent crimes by an intimate partner.
- On average,
from 1976-1998, the number of murders by intimates decreased by
4 percent per year for male victims and 1 percent per year for female
victims.
- The sharpest
decrease in number of intimate murders has been for black male victims.
A 74% percent decrease in the number of black men murdered between
1976 and 1998 occurred.
- Intimate violence
is primarily a crime against women -- in 1998, females were the
victims in 72% of intimate murders and the victims of about 85%
of nonlethal intimate violence.
- Women age
16-24 experienced the highest per capita rates of intimate violence
(19.6 victimizations per 1,000 women).
- Intimates
(current and former spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends) were identified
by the victims as the perpetrators of about 1% of all workplace
violent crime.
In surveys of
12 cities in 1998, the percentage of violent crime in which the offender
was a stranger to the victim ranged from 42% in Tucson to 74% in Los
Angeles.
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Time
of occurrence
In 2003, while overall violent crimes were more likely to occur during
the day than at the night, some crimes exhibited different patterns.
In 2003, 53% of incidents of violent crime occurred between 6 a.m. and
6 p.m. Almost two-thirds of rapes/sexual assaults occurred at night --
6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
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- Place
of occurrence
- Workplace
| School | Region | Urban,
suburban, rural
In 2003 about a quarter of incidents of violent crime occurred at
or near the victim's home. Among common locales for violent crimes were
on streets other than those near the victim's home (17%), at school
(14%), or at a commercial establishment (7%).
About one in four violent crimes occurred in or near the victim's home.
Including these, about half occurred within a mile from home and 76% within
five miles. Only 4% of victims of violent crime reported that the crime
took place more than fifty miles from their home.
Twenty-two percent
of victims of violent crime reported being involved in some form of
leisure activity away from home at the time of their victimization.
Twenty-three percent said they were at home, and another 19% mentioned
they were at work or traveling to or from work when the crime occurred.
Workplace violence
Of selected occupations examined from 1993 to 1999, police officers were the most vulnerable to be victims of workplace violence, as well as correctional officers, taxicab drivers, private security workers, and bartenders.
While working or on duty, U.S. residents experienced 1.7 million violent victimizations annually from 1993 to 1999 including 1.3 million simple assaults, 325,000 aggravated assaults, 36,500 rapes and sexual assaults, 70,000 robberies, and 900 homicides. Workplace violence accounted for 18% of all violent crime between 1993 to 1999.
Police officers were victims of a nonfatal violent crime while they were working or on duty between 1993 to 1999 at a rate of 261 per 1,000 officers.
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School
violence
In 2001, Students
age 12 through 18 were victims of about 161,000 serious violent crimes
at school, and about 290,000 away from school. Between 1992 and 2001
victimization rates at school and away from school declined.
- In 1993, 1995,
1997, 1999, and 2001 about 7 to 9 percent of students in grades
9 to 12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon such
as a gun, knife, or club on school property in the past 12 months.
- In 2001,
about 6% of students carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club
on school property in the past 30 days, a decline from 12% in 1993.
- Sixteen
school-associated homicides were of school age children between
July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000.
- In 2001,
20% of students reported the presence of street gangs in their schools.
Region
Northeastern, Southern, and Midwestern residents were victims of violent crime overall at similar rates, 2003.
In 2003 --
- 25 Westerners, 24 Midwesterners, 21 Southerners and 21 Northeasterners
per 1,000 were violent crime victims.
See also Homicide
Trends in the United States and Data
Online for characteristics of homicide victims by State and
large locality.
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Urban, suburban
and rural
Urban residents
had the highest violent victimization rates, followed by suburban
resident rates. Rural resident had the lowest rates.
In 2003--
- Five urban residents, four suburban residents and four rural
residents per 1,000 were victims of an aggravated assault.
- Suburban and rural residents were victims of violence at statistically
similar rates during 2003.
Surveys
of 12 cities in 1998 found that black residents in urban areas experienced
a higher rate of violent crime than urban whites in a majority of
the cities.
See also Homicide
Trends in the United States and Data
Online for characteristics of homicide victims by State and
large locality.
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Weapon
use
In 2003, 24% of the incidents of violent crime, a weapon
was present.
Offenders had or used a weapon in 45% of all robberies, compared with
11% of all rapes/sexual assaults in 2003.
Homicides are most often committed with guns, especially handguns. In
2002, 51% of homicides were committed with handguns, 16% with other
guns, 13% with knives, 5% with blunt objects, and 16% with other weapons.
In each of 12 cities surveyed
in 1998, victims said that less than half of the violent crimes involved
a weapon.
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The
role of alcohol in crime victimization
About 1 million violent
crimes occurred in 2002 in which victims perceived the offender to have
been drinking at the time of the offense. Among those victims who provided
information about the offender's use of alcohol, about 30% of the victimizations
involved an offender who had been drinking.
Two-thirds of victims who
suffered violence by an intimate (a current or former spouse, boyfriend,
or girlfriend) reported that alcohol had been a factor. Among spouse
victims, 3 out of 4 incidents were reported to have involved an offender
who had been drinking. By contrast, an estimated 31% of stranger victimizations
where the victim could determine the absence or presence of alcohol
were perceived to be alcohol-related.
For about 1 in 5 violent
victimizations involving perceived alcohol use by the offender, victims
also reported they believed the offender to have been using drugs as
well.
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Property
crime
Property crimes
include burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft.
- Trends
- After a 26-year decline, property crime has stabilized.
- See trends in
burglary, theft,
and motor vehicle theft.
Property crime
makes up about three-quarters of all crime in the United States.
Overall, in about 83% of all burglaries, the offender gained entry into
the victims residence or other building on the property.
About 74% of all motor vehicle thefts were completed.
Of the 14 million completed thefts of property in 2003, there were 4.2
million property thefts of less than $50, 4.8 million between $50 and
$249, and 3.4 million of $250 or more.
Home
ownership
Property crime, regardless of the type, occurred more often to those living in rented property.
In 2003--
- Households in rented property experienced 206, while those that
are owned experienced 140 overall property crimes per 1,000 households.
- Households living in rented property had about twice the rate
of motor vehicle theft than those in owned property.
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Region
The Western portion of the nation experiences the highest rates of property
crime overall in the nation.
In 2003--
- Western households had higher rates of property theft and motor
vehicle theft of all regions.
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Urban,
suburban and rural
Urban households
have historically been and continue to be the most vulnerable to property
crime, burglary, motor vehicle theft and theft in the United States.
In 2003--
- Urban households experienced all forms of property crime at rates
higher than those for suburban or rural households.
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BJS
publications
This list is in
order of the most recent publication first. Additional titles are listed
on other topical pages and a comprehensive list is contained on the BJS
publications page. To see a full abstract of a publication with
links to electronic versions of the publication, click on the title below.
Crime and the Nation's Households, 2003, 10/04. Presents national prevalence estimates for the percentage of households with one or more persons who were victimized by crime as measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey. NCJ 206348
- Crime and the Nation's Households, 2002, 2/04. NCJ 201797
-
Crime and the Nation's Households, 2000 with Trends 1994-2000, 09/02. NCJ 194107
-
Crime and the Nation's Households, 1992, 9/93 . NCJ 143288
Criminal
Victimization 2003,
9/04. Presents estimates of national levels and rates of personal and property victimization for the year 2003. NCJ 205455
- Criminal
Victimization 2002, 8/03. NCJ 199994
- Criminal
Victimization 2001: Changes 2000-2001 with Trends 1993-2001,
9/02. NCJ 194610
Criminal
Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000,
6/01. NCJ 187007
Criminal
Victimization 1999: Changes 1998-99 with Trends 1993-99,
8/00. NCJ 182734
- Criminal
Victimization 1998: Changes 1997-98 with Trends 1993-98,
7/99. NCJ 176353
- Criminal
Victimization 1997: Changes 1996-97 with Trends 1993-97,
12/98. NCJ 173385
- Criminal
Victimization 1996: Changes 1995-96 with Trends 1993-96,
11/97. NCJ 165812
Carjacking, 1993-2002, 07/04. Presents data for carjackings that occurred in the United States between 1993 and 2002. NCJ 205123
-
Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96, 3/99. NCJ 171145
-
Carjacking, 3/94. NCJ 147002
Cybercrime against Businesses: Pilot Testing Results, 2001 Computer Security Survey, 3/04. Describes the history, development, and implementation of the pilot Computer Security Survey conducted during the last half of 2002. NCJ 200639
Criminal
Victimization in the United States, 2002, Presents 110 tables with
detailed data on major variables measured by the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS). 12/03. NCJ 200561
Earlier versions in electronic only formats:
Criminal Victimization in the United States - Statistical tables,
2001, 1/03. NCJ 197064
2000, 8/02. NCJ 188290
1999, 1/01. NCJ 184938
1998, 5/00. NCJ 181585
1997, 9/00. NCJ 174446
1996, 9/00. NCJ 174445
See the Table
index to find the right table in the electronic only collection.
In printed and electronic formats:
Criminal
Victimization in the United States 1995, 5/00. NCJ
171129
Criminal Victimization in the United States 1994, 5/97.
NCJ 162126
Criminal Victimization in the United States 1993, 5/96.
NCJ 151657
Criminal Victimization in the
United States 1992, 5/95. NCJ 145125
Violent Victimization of College Students, 12/03. Examines the incidents of college student victimization and compares the findings to persons of similar age in the general population. NCJ 196143
Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 2003, 10/03. Examines crime occurring
in school as well as on the way to and from school. A collaborative report
from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education
Statistics, it presents data on crime at school from the perspectives
of students, teachers, principals, and the general population, using a
comprehensive array of sources. NCJ 201257
- Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 2002, 11/02. NCJ 196753
- Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 2001, 10/01. NCJ 190075
- Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 2000, 10/00. NCJ 184176
- Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 1999, 9/99. NCJ 178906
- Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 1998, 10/98. NCJ 172215
Weapon Use and Violent Crime, 1993-2001,
9/03. Discusses the nature and prevalence of violent crime by armed offenders, and the consequences to the victims, age 12 or older, from 1993 through 2001. NCJ 194820
Reporting Crime to the Police, 03/03. Presents National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data from 1992 to 2000 on non-lethal crimes against persons age 12 or older that were reported to police. NCJ 195710
Intimate
Partner Violence, 1993-2001, 2/03. Reports on trends in intimate partner violence of persons age 12 or older in the United States using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports. This Crime Data Brief updates some of the data in Intimate Partner Violence, a more detailed report on this subject published in 2000. NCJ 197838
Third-Party Involvement in Violent Crime, 1993-99,
7/02. Presents detailed information about third-party involvement in violent crime, using the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). NCJ 189100
Violence in the Workplace, 1993-99, 12/01. Presents data for 1993 through 1999 from the National Crime Victimization Survey estimating the extent of
workplace crime in the United States. NCJ 190076
- Other publications
on this topic:
Workplace
Violence, 1992-96, 7/98. NCJ 168634
Violence and Theft in the Workplace, 7/94. NCJ 148199
Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 10/01. Provides estimates of violence by intimates (current or former spouses, girlfriends, and boyfriends) with an emphasis on the victim's age using the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 1993-99. NCJ 187635
Hate Crimes Reported in NIBRS, 1997-99, 9/01. Utilizes data from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting Program (NIBRS) to describe hate crimes reported to law enforcement in NIBRS-participating jurisdictions, between 1997 and 1999. NCJ 186765
Injuries
from Violent Crime, 1992-98, 6/01. Presents data from the
redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey, examining injuries as
a result of violent victimizations. NCJ 168633
Policing and Homicide, 1976-98: Justifiable Homicide of Felons by Police and Murder of Police by Felons, 03/01. Presents annual trends from 1976 to 1998 in two types of homicide: justifiable homicides of felons by police, and murders of police officers by felons. NCJ 180987
Violent Victimization and Race, 1993-98, 3/01. Presents incidence estimates and per capita rates of violent victimization of whites, blacks, American Indians and Asians in 1998, and includes victimization trends, 1993-98. NCJ 176354
Sexual Victimization of College Women, 1/01. A joint report from BJS and the National Institute of Justice which explores the prevalence and nature of sexual assault occurring at colleges throughout the nation. NCJ 182369
Urban,
Suburban, and Rural Victimization, 1993-98, 10/00 Examines
the extent of criminal victimization in urban, suburban, and rural areas
using 1993 to 1998 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data. NCJ
182031
Firearm Injury and Death from Crime,
1993-97 10/00
Reports on the incidence of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries that result
from crime. Most of the data presented are from the FBI’s Supplementary
Homicide Reports and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vital
Statistics and the Firearms Injury Surveillance Study which collects data
on injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. NCJ 182993
Sexual
Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident,
and Offender Characteristics 7/00. Presents findings from the
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) regarding sexual assault,
especially of young children. NCJ 182990
Intimate
Partner Violence, 5/00. Provides information on fatal and nonfatal violence by intimates (current or former spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends) from 1993 through 1998. NCJ 178247
Homicide
Trends in the United States: 1998 Update, 3/00. Outlines
the primary findings from the section of the BJS website about homicide
patterns and trends since 1976 (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/homtrnd.htm).
NCJ 179767
Homicide
Trends in the United States, 1/99. NCJ 173956
Criminal
Victimization and Perceptions of Community Safety in 12 Cities, 1998,
6/99. Presents survey data from 12 cities regarding criminal victimization
and residents' attitudes toward their neighborhood, their city, and the
local policing services. NCJ 173940
Perceptions
of Neighborhood Crime, 1995, 5/98. Presents data from the
American Housing Survey (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
and the BJS National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) about how residents
perceive crime in their neighborhoods and their relative likelihood of
victimization. NCJ 165811
Students' Report of School Crime: 1989 and 1995, 4/98. Compares
findings from the 1989 and 1995 School Crime Supplements to the BJS National
Crime Victimization Survey, discussing student reports of victimization,
drug availability, street gang presence, and gun presence at school. NCJ
169607
Alcohol and Crime, 4/98. Provides an overview of national
information on the role of alcohol in violent victimization and its use
among those convicted of crimes, including victim perceptions of alcohol
use by offenders at the time of the crime. NCJ 168632
Violence by Intimates, 3/98. Reports findings about violence
between people who have an intimate relationship -- spouses, exspouses,
boyfriends, girlfriends, and former boyfriends and girlfriends from statistical
data maintained by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation. NCJ 167237
Sex Differences in Violent Victimization, 1994, 9/97. Contains
detailed information about specific violent crime types and contextual
characteristics of violence against both women and men and their relationship
to those who victimize them. NCJ 164508
Violence-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments,
8/97. Presents findings from a study of violence related-injuries treated
in hospital emergency departments in 1994. The study was conducted using
the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance
System (NEISS) program. NCJ 156921
Sex Offenses and Offenders 2/97. Reports on more
than two dozen statistical datasets maintained by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics and on data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program
of the FBI to provide a comprehensive overview of current knowledge about
the incidence and prevalence of violent victimization by sexual assault,
the response of the criminal justice system to such crimes, and the characteristics
of those who commit sexual assault or rape. NCJ 163392
Domestic
and Sexual Violence Data Collection: A Report to Congress Under the Violence
Against Women Act, 7/96. Reports how States and the Federal
government collect data on the incidence of sexual and domestic violence
offenses. NCJ 161405
Violence between Intimates, 11/94. Using data from a variety of
sources, this report examines murders, rapes, robberies, and assaults
committed by spouses, ex-spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends. NCJ 149259
Murder in Families, 7/94. This BJS Special Report is a survey of murder cases disposed in 1988 in the courts of large urban counties.
NCJ 143498
Crime and Neighborhoods , 7/94. Compares victimization levels
and perceptions of neighborhood crime for the Nation's households using
data from a variety of sources. NCJ 147005
Guns and Crime: Handgun Victimization, Firearm Self-Defense, and Firearm
Theft, 5/94. Provides estimates of the extent of handgun crime
in the United States through 1992, as well as estimates from the National
Crime Victimization Survey of thefts of firearms and the extent of firearm
use for self-defense. NCJ 147003
Violent Crime, 4/94. Summarizes 1973-92 trends in rape, robbery,
and assault from the National Crime Victimization Survey; homicide data
from Vital Statistics of the United States, National Center for
Health Statistics; and 1992 murder data from the FBI Uniform Crime
Reports. NCJ 147486
Carjacking, 3/94. Presents the first National Crime Victimization
Survey estimates of the extent and characteristics of the recently identified
crime of carjacking. NCJ 147002
The Costs of Crime to Victims, 2/94. Provides information
on both the overall and the average cost of crime to victims. NCJ 145865
School
Crime 1991, 9/91. Analyzes the experiences of U.S. students in
grades 6-12 regarding crime victimization at school, the availability
of illicit substances, gang presence, fear of crime, and school security
measures. NCJ 131645
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Criminal Victimization in the United States
- Statistical tables
in spreadsheet and portable document format files. Subjects include:
- Demography of victims
- Victims and offenders
- Geography
- The crime event
- Victims and the criminal justice system
- Series victimization
1996-2002 data are currently available, 12/03
To find tables using keywords, see the Table index.
See Data Online for State and local
data on crime trends and homicide trends and victim characteristics
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Greenfeld, Lawrence
A., and Maureen A. Henneberg, "Victim and Offender Self-Reports of Alcohol Involvement in Crime," (pdf file), Alcohol Research and Health, Journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Volume 25, Number 1, 2001
From BJS
Other relevant
sites
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