Violent Crime
Murder, Rape and sexual assault, Robbery, Assault
Trends
Violent crime rates have declined since 1994, reaching the lowest level ever recorded by the National Crime Victimization Survey in 2000.
Victim/offender relationship
Males were more likely to be victimized by a stranger, and females were more likely to be violently victimized by a friend, an acquaintance, or an intimate.
During 2000 --
About six in ten rape or sexual assault victims stated the offender was an intimate, other relative, a friend or an acquaintance.
Seventy-four percent of males and 60% 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, 45% were related to or acquainted with their assailants; 15% of victims were murdered by strangers, while almost 40% of victims had an unknown relationship to their murderer.
Intimate violence
In 1998, women experienced an estimated 876,340 rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault victimizations at the hands of an intimate, down from 1.1 million in 1993. In both 1993 and 1998, men were victims of about 160,000 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 murder 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.
Time of occurrence
While overall violent crimes were more likely to occur during the day than at the night, some crimes exhibited different patterns.
Fifty-four percent of incidents of violent crime occurred between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Approximately two-thirds of rapes/sexual assaults occurred at night -- 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Place of occurrence
In 1995 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 (19%), at school (14%), or at a commercial establishment (12%).
One in four violent crimes occurred in or near the victim's home. Including these, almost half occurred within a mile from home and 73% within five miles. Only 4% of victims of violent crime reported that the crime took place more than fifty miles from their home.
Twenty-three 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-one percent said they were at home, and another 21% 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.
School violence
In 1999, Students age 12 through 18 were victims of about 186,000 serious violent crimes at school, and about 476,000 away from school. Between 1992 and 1999 victimization rates at school and away from school declined.
In 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999, about 7 to 8 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 1999, about 7% of students carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property in the past 30 days.
Thirty-three school-associated homicides were of school age children between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999.
The percent of students reporting street gang presence at school decreased from 29% to 17% between 1995 and 1999.
Region
Crime rates differ across regions. In 2000 Western and Midwestern residents experienced the highest rates of violent victimization, and Western households had the highest rate of property crime in the nation.
In 2000 --
34 Westerners, 30 Midwesterners, 25 Southerners and 24 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.
Urban, suburban and rural
Urban residents had the highest violent victimization rates, followed by suburban resident rates. Rural resident had the lowest rates.
In 2000--
Seven urban residents, five suburban residents and five rural residents per 1,000 were victims of an aggravated assault, and urban residents were robbed at about 5 times the rate of rural residents.
Suburban and rural residents were victims of simple assault at similar rates.
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.
Weapon use
In 26% of the incidents of violent crime, aweapon was present.
Offenders had or used a weapon in 55%of all robberies, compared with 6% of all rapes/sexual assaults in 2000.
Homicides are most often committed with guns, especially handguns. In 1999, 51% of homicides were committed with handguns, 14% with other guns, 13% with knives, 6% with bluntobjects, 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.
The role of alcohol incrime victimization
About 3 million violent crimes occur each year in which victims perceive 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 35% 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.
Property crime
Property crimes include burglary, theft, andmotor vehicle theft.
Property crime continued a 26-year decline.
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See trends in burglary,
theft, and motorvehicle theft.
Property crime makes up about three-quarters ofall crime in the United States.
Overall, about 72% of all burglaries weresuccessful.
About 69% of all motor vehicle thefts weresuccessful.
Of the 14.9 million completed thefts ofproperty in 2000, there were 4.7 million property thefts of less than $50,5.3 million between $50 and $249, and 3.2 million of $250 or more.
Home ownership
Property crime, regardless of the type,occurred to those living in rented property.
In 2000--
Households in rented propertyexperienced 228, while those that are owned experienced 153 overall
property crimes per 1,000 households.
Rented households were burglarized at
rates 85% higher than owned households.
Households living in rented property
had about twice the rate of motor vehicle theft than those in owned
property.
Region
The Western portion of the nation
experiences the highest rates of property crime overall in the nation.
In 2000--
- Western households had at least
slightly higher rates of property crime and theft of all regions.
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 2000--
- Suburban households were more
likely to experience motor vehicle theft than were rural households.
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.
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
Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 2001, 10/01.
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 190075
Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 2000, 10/00.
184176
Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 1999, 9/99. NCJ 178906
Indicators
of School Crime and Safety, 1998, 10/98. NCJ 172215
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
Criminal
Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000,
6/01. This report summarizes criminal victimization levels and rates in 2000.
It also includes other findings about the characteristics of victims and
examines trends in victimization rates from 1993 to 2000. 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
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
Criminal
Victimization in the United States 1995,
5/00. Presents detailed data on major variables measured by the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS) for 1995. NCJ 171129
After 1995, these data are available only in
electronic formats. See Criminal
Victimization in the United States - Statistical Tables 1/01.
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
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
Carjackings
in the United States, 1992-96, 3/99. Presents
data from the National Crime Victimization Survey about carjackings (completed
or attempted robbery of a motor vehicle by a stranger to the victim) that
occurred during 1992-96. NCJ 171145
Carjacking,
3/94. NCJ 147002
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
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
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
1996-99 data are currently available, 1/01
See Data
Online for State and local data on crime trends and homicide trends
and victim characteristics.
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