Victim Policy

By Timothy C. Hart and Callie Rennison, Ph.D.

BJS Statisticians

In 2000 about half the violent crimes — rape, sexual assault, robbery, and simple and aggravated assault — committed against persons age 12 or older were reported to the police, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). About a third of both property crimes — burglary, motor vehicle theft, and property theft — and pocket pickings or purse snatchings were also reported. Thirty-nine percent of the 25.4 million crimes estimated from victims’ survey responses were reported to law enforcement authorities. On average from 1992 through 2000, 57% of robberies and 55% of aggra- vated assaults were reported to police. Thirty-one percent of rapes/sexual assaults were brought to the attention of the police.

Overall violent crimes, rapes/sexual assaults, simple assaults, and serious violent crimes were reported to the police in higher percentages for 2000 than for the period 1992 through 1999.

The reporting to police of violent crime victimizations overall increased from an annual average 43%, 1992-99, to 49% for 2000. The reporting of simple assaults increased from 37% to 44%.

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report

March 2003, NCJ 195710

! In 2000, 39% of the 25.4 million violent and property crimes were reported to the police according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Violent crimes were reported at a higher percentage than property crimes.

! Violence against females was more likely to be reported than violence against males. Higher percentages of violence against older persons than younger persons were reported to law enforcement.

! Overall violent crime was more likely to be reported to the police if the victim perceived that the offender was under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

! When violent crime was committed by an armed offender, it was more likely to be reported to the police.

! A higher percentage of violence in which the victim was injured was reported to the police. Ninety percent of violence in which the victim was shot was reported to the police.

! Overall violent crime committed by strangers was reported to police at a higher percentage than was violent crime committed by nonstrangers.

! Robbery was less likely to have been reported to the police when the victim thought the offender was a gang member (46% for gang members and 59% for nongang members).

! Violent crime was most often reported in an effort to “prevent future violence,” “stop the offender,” or to “protect others.”

! Violent crime was most often not reported to police because it was deemed a “private/personal matter,” was considered “not important enough,” or because it was “reported to another official.”

Reporting to the police of violent crime increased from an annual average of 43%, 1992-99, to 49% in 2000

Highlights

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 0%

15%

30%

45%

60%

75% Percent reported to the police

Serious violent crim e Violent crim e

Sim ple assault

Note: Serious violent crime includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault and excludes simple assault.

Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000

Data and definitions

The NCVS collects data on nonfatal crimes against persons age 12 or older, reported and not reported to the police, from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Because NCVS interviews persons about their victimizations, murder and manslaugh- ter cannot be included in NCVS estimates.

Overall violent victimization refers to rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggra- vated assault, and simple assault taken as a whole. Serious violent victimiza- tion refers to overall violent crime without simple assault. Property crimes include household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft.

Reporting crime to the police is often characterized and thought of as an action of the victim of the crime. However, violent crimes can come to the attention of police through persons other than the victim. Witnesses, relatives, neighbors, or other house- hold members can report crimes to the police. Any one of these people could have been the source of information of reported crimes, unless otherwise specified. (See Third Party Involvement in Violent Crime, 1993-99, BJS Special Report, NCJ 189100.)

Reporting crime to the police, 2000

In 2000, 39% of the approximately 25.4 million violent and property victimiza- tions against persons age 12 or older were reported to the police according to the NCVS (table 1). Violent crime was reported to the police at a higher percentage than personal theft (pocket picking and purse snatching) and property crime (49%, 36%, and 36% respectively).

During 2000 robbery (60%) and aggra- vated assault (58%) were reported to the police at percentages higher than simple assault (44%). Robbery was reported to the police at percentages somewhat higher than rape/sexual assault (48%). Other apparent differ- ences between the percentage of rape/ sexual assault and other violent crimes reported to the police were not statisti-

cally significant. (See the discussion of significance, especially as it pertains to the NCVS, in Criminal Victimization 2001: Changes 2000-01 with Trends 1993-2001, NCJ 194610.)

Motor vehicle theft (81%) was reported to the police at a higher percentage than burglary (53%) and theft (29%). Burglary was reported to the police at a higher percentage than theft during 2000.

2 Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

37548,300Attempted 2914,084,990Completed 29%14,633,290Theft

57289,540Attempted 92658,330Completed 81%947,870Motor vehicle theft

43480,800 Attempted forcible

entry

411,795,000 Unlawful entry

without force

771,049,490Forcible entry 542,844,490Completed 53%3,325,290Household burglary

36%18,906,450Total property crime 28%211,640 Pocket picking 28*9,150 Attempted 6755,290 Completed 62%64,440 Purse snatching

36%276,080Total personal theft 44%3,972,830Simple assault

58%1,206,710Aggravated assault

46259,610Attempted 68478,230Completed 60%737,830Robbery

48%254,870Rape/sexual assault

49%6,172,250Total violent crime

57%2,199,420Serious violencea 39%25,354,780

Violent, personal and property crime

Percent reported

Total of all crimes Type of crime

2000

Table 1. Number and percent of crimes reported to the police, 2000

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

454354Other 48631*6Police (at scene) 899779An official (not police)

111011101711Other household member 201422171216Someone else 53%54%48%60%59%54%Victim

Serious violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggra- vated assaultRobbery

Rape/ sexual assaultAll

The person who reported the violence to the police

Violent crimes, 1992-2000

The victim reported about half of all violence known to the police, 1992-2000

When the police learn about violent crimes, the knowledge comes from a variety of sources. Victims were more often the source of reports to the police for rapes, sexual assaults, and robberies, than for aggravated assaults. “Someone else,” such as a bystander, a relative, or an acquaintance, informed the police in about a fifth of the aggravated assaults and serious violent crimes. Officials other than law enforcement personnel, such as persons in authority at a hospital or school, reported about 9% of the violence that came to the attention of the police.

The National Crime Victimization Survey

The NCVS is the Nation's primary source of information on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimiza- tion. One of the largest continuous household surveys conducted by the Federal Government, the NCVS collects information about crimes both reported and not reported to police. The survey provides the largest national forum for victims to describe their experiences of victimi- zation, the impact of crime, and the characteristics of violent offenders.

For the most current estimates of criminal victimization in the United States, see Criminal Victimization 2001: Changes 2000-01 with Trends 1993-2001 (NCJ 194610).

Victim characteristics and type of crime, 1992-2000

Serious violent crime (53%), which excludes the verbal threats and minor injuries (such as cuts and bruises) of simple assault, was reported to the police at a higher percentage than overall violent crime (43%) (table 2). Robbery (57%) and aggravated assault (55%) were reported to the police at higher percentages than simple assault (38%) and rape/sexual assault (31%).

Gender of victim Overall violence, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, and serious violent crimes were more likely to be reported to the police when the victim was female. Apparent differences in percentages of reporting of rape/sexual assault for male and female victims were not statistically significant.

Race of victim Overall violence against black victims (49%) was reported at a significantly higher percentage than violence against white victims (42%) and at a somewhat higher percentage than violence against Asian victims (40%).

Serious violent crime and aggravated assault against blacks was reported in higher percentages than comparable crimes against whites. Regardless of the type of victimization, apparent differences in reporting percentages among American Indians and all other racial groups were not significant.

Hispanic origin of victim Robbery of non-Hispanic victims (58%) was reported to the police at a higher percentage than robbery of Hispanics (48%).

Age of victim The specific relation- ship between victims’ ages and the percentages of crime reported to the police varied by the type of crime. For violent crime overall, adults were more likely than teenagers to have experi- enced crimes reported to the police.

Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000 3

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault.

6146517230*5365 or older 60435865334950-64 60456364325035-49 59466264295125-34 53395659284520-24 44324749273716-19 37%20%37%32%47%25%12-15

Age 533855583243Non-Hispanic 50%39%55%48%28%44%Hispanic

Hispanic origin 5031515516*40Asian 5543594547*48American Indian 584161593549Black 51%37%54%56%31%42%White

Race 554361663247Female 51%34%52%52%27%40%Male

Gender 53%38%55%57%31%43%Total

Serious violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggravated assaultRobbery

Rape/sexual assaultAll

Characteristic of victim

Violent crimes Percent reported to the police

Table 2. Violent victimizations reported to the police, by the gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age of the victims, 1992-2000

*The increase in the percentage of rapes/sexual assaults reported to police, 1999-2000, was based on a difference of 10 or fewer sample cases.

575156555352505153Serious violence 444040393736363536Simple assault 585457595654515354Aggravated assault 605562565455565559Robbery 482533312731322932Rape/sexual assault*

%49%44%45%45%43%42%42%41%42Violent crime 200019991998199719961995199419931992Reported

Percent of violent crime reported to police, 1992-2000

The higher percentage of violent crimes reported to the police in 2000, compared to 1992, resulted from a decrease in the number not reported

From 1992 to 2000 violent crime decreased. The overall number of crimes reported to the police decreased somewhat, while the number of crimes not reported to police decreased to a greater extent. As a result, the overall percentage of crime reported to police increased from 1992 to 2000.

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 0

3

6

9

12

15 M illions

C rim e s o f vio le n c e -- R e p o rte d to p o lic e

C rim e s o f vio le n c e -- N o t re p o rte d to p o lic e

Annual household income of victim The relationship between annual household income and the percentage of violence reported to the police varied by the type of crime (table 3). In general, percentages of violence and simple assault reported to police declined as victims’ annual household incomes increased.

With one exception, reporting aggra- vated assault to the police did not differ based on the victim’s annual house- hold income. Victims in households with annual incomes of less than $7,500 were slightly more likely to report aggravated assaults than those in households with incomes between $50,000 and $74,999. Among the categories of annual house- hold income considered, there were no differences in the percentages of rape/sexual assault, robbery, or serious violent crime reported to the police.

Marital status of victim Overall violence, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, and serious violent crime against those who never married was reported to the police at lower percentages than for such crimes against married persons.

Residence of victim Regardless of the type of violence, the percentage of violence reported to the police did not differ based on where the victim lived, with one exception. A higher percent- age of overall violent crime against urban residents (45%) was reported to the police than similar crimes against suburbanites (42%).

Injuries and treatment of victims, 1992-2000

Crimes resulting in injuries are more likely to be reported to police. Fifty-six percent of victimizations in which the victim was injured, compared to 40% of violence in which the victim emerged uninjured, were reported to the police (table 4).

Seventy-five percent of all violent victimizations in which the victim was seriously injured and 90% of violence in which the victim sustained a gunshot wound were reported to the police, 1992-2000.

All victims of completed rape are considered injured by NCVS definition. Thirty-two percent of victimizations in which the victim was raped/sexually assaulted without additional injury were reported to the police.

Victimizations in which victims received treatment for their injuries were reported to the police in a higher percentage (70%) than those instances when treatment was not received (46%).

4 Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault.

554057604245Rural 513754542842Suburban 53%38%55%58%30%45%Urban

Residence 555361652554Separated 584860653452Divorced 6346597051*54Widowed 634464673951Married 47%31%49%50%30%37%Never married

Marital status 533053632137$75,000 or more 513352533839$50,000 to $74,999 513853572242$35,000 to $49,999 533753612843$25,000 to $34,999 523955582844$15,000 to $24,999 544357544148$7,500 to $14,999 56%41%60%57%38%48%Less than $7,500

Annual household income

53%38%55%57%31%43%Total

Serious violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggravated assaultRobbery

Rape/sexual assaultAll

Characteristic of victim

Violent crimes Percent of violent victimizations reported to the police

Table 3. Violent victimizations reported to the police, by the annual household income, marital status, and residence of the victims, 1992-2000

1,351,220Injured 2,741,180Not injured 4,092,400Violent victimizations

Average annual —

57Other location 89Admitted 86Not admitted 86Hospital 62Doctor’s office or clinic 55At scene/home 70Injured, treated 46Injured, not treated 56%Injured

55Minor injuries 32

Rape/sexual assault without additional injury

62Other serious injuries 74Internal injuries 79Knocked unconscious 76Broken bones 67Knife wound 90Gunshot wound 75Serious injury 56%Injured

40%Not injured

Percent of violence reported to police

Table 4. Violence reported to the police, by victim injury and treatment, 1992-2000

Offender characteristics and type of crime, 1992-2000

As with victims, characteristics of the offender were related to the likelihood that a violent victimization was reported to the police (table 5).

Gender of offender Regardless of the type of crime examined, the percent- age of violent crime reported to the police did not differ when the offender was male or female.

Race of offender Higher percentages of overall violent crime and serious violent crime were reported to police when the crimes were committed by black offenders than by white offenders. Somewhat higher percent- ages of aggravated assault were reported to police when committed by black offenders than by white offenders.

Age of offender In general the younger the offender, the lower the percentage of crime reported to police. For example, robbery, simple assault, and serious violent crime committed by offenders age 12-14 were reported to police in smaller percentages than similar crimes committed by older offenders.

Number of offenders A significantly higher percentage of violence was reported to the police when it was committed by more than a single offender. For example, 55% of overall violence was reported to the police when committed by 2 offenders, compared to 42% committed by a single offender.

Victim-offender relationship With two exceptions, there was no differ- ence in the percentage of violence reported to the police when committed by persons known to the victims and when committed by strangers (table 6). The two exceptions were overall violent crime and rape/sexual assault. When committed by a stranger, the percent- age reported to police was higher for both types of crime. For every type of violence except rape/sexual assault, a higher percentage of victimization by an intimate than by a friend/acquain- tance was reported to the police.

Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000 5

Note: Offender characteristics are based on the victim’s perception. *Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

594262572851Three or more 644464654455Two 50%38%53%55%31%42%One

Number of offenders 604662593753Mixed age group 57456264324930 or older 55445563334821-29 47345149194018-20 43274545253215-17 30163225401912-14 19%17%22%11%*0%*18%Less than 12

Age

503054532340Race unknown 5543605237*49Mixed races 493549562841Other 583859593947Black 50%38%54%55%29%42%White

Race 5831586626*46

Unknown number of offenders

61256063100*44 Offender(s) gender unknown

7456757459*63Both 5337555513*40All female 52%38%54%56%32%43%All male

Gender 53%38%55%57%31%43% Total

Serious violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggravated assaultRobbery

Rape/sexual assaultAll

Characteristic of offender

Violent crimes Percent of violent victimizations reported to the police

Table 5. Violent victimizations reported to the police, by the gender, race, and age of the offenders, 1992-2000

Note: Offender characteristics are based on the victim’s perception. *Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

553755583945Don't know 433047502333Not using drugs/alcohol 55%48%60%58%32%51%Using drugs/alcohol

Drug/alcohol use 543453574143Don't know 514055592843Not a gang member 53%39%57%46%34%46%Gang member

Gang membership 5532536239*43Don't know relationship 553955564145Stranger 483152552736Friend/acquaintance 574761534850Other relative 555363722454Intimate 51%37%55%59%27%41%Nonstranger

Relationship to victim

violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggravated assaultRobbery

Rape/sexual assaultAll

Characteristic of offender

SeriousViolent crimes Percent of violent victimizations reported to the police

Table 6. Violent victimizations reported to the police, by characteristics of the offender, 1992-2000

Offender’s gang membership Except for robbery the percentage of violent crime reported to the police did not differ based on whether the victim perceived the offender(s) to be gang members. The rate of reporting a robbery to the police was lower for crimes perceived to have been committed by gang members (46% for gang members and 59% for nongang members).

Offender’s drug/alcohol use For all crimes except rape/sexual assault and robbery, violent crimes were reported to the police in higher percentages when the victim believed the offender was under the influence of drugs/ alcohol.

Presence of weapons Violent crimes committed by armed offenders were more likely to be reported to the police across all types of crimes (table 7). For example, 56% of all violent crimes

committed with a weapon present compared to 38% of those committed by an unarmed offender were reported to the police.

Similarly, 49% of all rapes/sexual assaults committed by an armed offender compared to 28% of those committed by an unarmed offender were reported to the police.

Except for rape/sexual assaults, violent crimes committed by an offender armed with a firearm were more likely to be reported to police than violence by an offender armed with a knife. Apparent differences in the percentages of rapes/sexual assaults reported to the police when the offender was armed with a firearm versus a knife were not significant.

6 Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000

National crime measures

National measures of crime come from two sources of data: the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). The UCR program collects information on crimes and arrests reported by law enforcement authorities to the FBI.

The figure, using data from <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ glance/cv2.htm>, shows that about half of all serious violent crime is reported to police. The three lines in the chart are described below:

Total serious violent crime The number of homicides recorded by police plus the number of rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults from the victimization survey whether or not they were reported to the police.

Victimizations reported to police The number of homicides recorded by police plus the number of rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults from the victimization survey that victims said were reported to the police.

Crimes recorded by police The number of homicides, forcible rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults included in the Uniform Crime Reports of the FBI excluding commercial robberies and crimes that involved victims under age 12.

*NCVS numbers include homicide from the UCR.

Serious violent crime includes rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide. (For related data about homicide trends, see Homicide Trends in the United States: 2000 Update, January 2003, NCJ 197064.) The redesign of the NCVS was put into place in 1993; prior year data are adjusted to make them comparable with data collected afterwards. Post-redesign data are denoted by the darker segments of the graph lines.

For more information, see U.S. Department of Justice, The Nation's Two Crime Measures, a statement by BJS and the FBI, NCJ 122705, August 2002 version; Effects of the Redesign on Victimization Estimates, BJS Techni- cal Report, NCJ 164381, April 1997; and "True Crime Stories? Accounting for Differences in Our National Crime Indicators," Chance Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2002.

1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998

M illions

C rim e s re c o rd e d b y p o lic e (U C R )

To ta l s e rio u s vio le n t c rim e (N C V S )*

5

4

3

2

1

0

V ic tim iz a tio n s re p o rte d to p o lic e (N C V S )*

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

40484242Don't know 476953*51Type unknown 506232*51Other 51484250Knife 63706265Firearm 54634956Weapon 38%51%28%38%No weapon

AssaultRobbery Rape/sexual assaultAllWeapon presence

Percent reported to the police

Table 7. Reporting to the police and the presence of a weapon during violent crimes, 1992-2000

Reasons violence was and was not reported to the police, 1992-2000

NCVS asks crime victims why they reported or did not report the crime to law enforcement authorities.

Reasons for reporting violence In general, the most common reason for reporting violence to the police was to “prevent future violence” (19%), to “stop the offender” (17%), or to “protect others” (9%) (table 8). The most common reason for reporting robbery to the police was to “recover property” (16%).

Reasons for not reporting violence The most common reasons for not reporting violence to the police were because it was a “private/personal matter” (20%), because the violence was considered “not important enough” (17%), or because it was “reported to some other official” (14%) (table 9).

Survey methodology

The NCVS collects data on nonfatal crimes against persons age 12 or older, reported and not reported to the police, from a nationally representative sample of households in the United

States. Between 1992 and 2000 approximately 464,740 households and 872,320 individuals age 12 or older were interviewed. For the NCVS data presented, response rates varied between 93% and 96% of eligible households, and between 89% and 94% of eligible individuals.

For discussions of standard errors and trend analysis, see Criminal Victimiza- tion 2001: Changes 2000-01 with Trends 1993-2001 (NCJ 194610).

Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000 7

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

202020221420No other reason 597467Other reason 11110*1Collect insurance 2%1%2%2%4%2%Needed assistance

423443Improve police surveillance 711161*4Recover property 8371055Catch offender 8%7%8%7%12%8%Punish offender

657656A duty to tell police 108118159Protect others 13211591717Stop offender 15%22%18%11%19%19%Prevent future violence

Reasons for reporting

Serious violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggra- vated assaultRobbery

Rape/ sexual assaultAll

Violent crimes Percent of reasons why violence was reported to the police

Table 8. Reasons why violence was reported to the police, by type of crime, 1992-2000

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. Note: In instances where all types of crime accounted for less than 3% for a reason, that reason was included in the “other reason” category. aIncludes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

302328333425Other reason 4%3%4%5%3%3%Inconvenient

334163Protect offender 7261024Lack of proof 343134Not clear a crime occurred 7%4%6%6%12%5%Fear of reprisal

757946Not important to police 81697714Reported to other official

14191518617Not important enough 17%22%18%11%23%20%Private/personal matter

Serious violent crimea

Simple assault

Aggra- vated assaultRobbery

Rape/ sexual assaultAll

Reasons for not reporting

Violent crimes Percent of reasons for not reporting to the police

Table 9. Reasons why violence was not reported to the police, by type of crime, 1992-2000

Note: See text for a discussion of factors associated with reporting crime to the police.

Not under the influence

Under the influence

Drug/alcohol use NonstrangerStrangerRelation to victim

OneMore than one

Number YoungerOlderAge WhiteBlackRace

Offender

Never married

MarriedMarital status HigherLowerIncome Under 25Age 25+Age WhiteBlackRace MaleFemaleGender

Victim

Not presentPresentWeapon Not injuredInjuredVictim injury AttemptedCompletedCompletion PropertyViolentType

Crime DecreasedIncreased

Characteristic of —

Likelihood of reporting to the police

Appendix. Factors associated with reporting crime to the police, 1992-2000

Other NCVS reports

Rape and Sexual Assault: Reporting to Police and Medical Attention, 1992-2000, BJS Selected Findings, NCJ 194530, 8/02.

Criminal Victimization 2001: Changes 2000-01 with Trends 1993-2001, BJS Bulletin, NCJ 194610, 9/02.

Hispanic Victims of Violent Crimes, 1993-2000/Víctimas Hispanas de Crímenes Violentos, 1993-2000, BJS Special Report, NCJ 191208, 4/02

8 Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000

This report and additional data, analyses, and graphs about criminal victimization in the United States are available on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

For questions or comments about this or any BJS report, e-mail to [email protected].

Data presented in this report can be obtained from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the Univer- sity of Michigan, 1-800-999-0960. The archive can also be accessed through the BJS Web site. When at the archive site, search for dataset ICPSR 3140.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lawrence A. Greenfeld is director.

Timothy C. Hart and Callie M. Renni- son wrote this report under the supervision of Michael Rand. Cathy Maston provided statistical review. Tom Hester produced and edited the report. Jayne Robinson administered final production.

March 2003, NCJ 195710