Victimization Survey Research Articles

Victim and offender race and the likelihood of weapon use: a test of racial animosity and racial threat theories

ABSTRACT The historically complex relationship between Blacks and Whites is believed to play an important role in the way offenders select their victims in violent crimes. This study tests two theories that have been used to explain interracial crimes: racial animosity theory and racial threat theory. Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) from 1992 through 2016, we conduct two analyses of the racial dyads of White and Black offenders and victims to examine the role racial characteristics play in interpersonal crimes. Multinomial logistic regression is used to first analyze the likelihood of weapon use before narrowing our analysis specifically to handguns use. The findings provide minimal support for both racial threat theory and racial animosity theory.

Federal-Local Partnerships on Immigration Law Enforcement: Are the Policies Effective in Reducing Violent Victimization?

Our understanding of how immigration enforcement impacts crime has been informed by data from the police crime statistics. This study complements existing research by using longitudinal multilevel data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) for 2005-2014 to simultaneously assess the impact of the three predominant immigration policies that have been implemented in local communities. The results indicate that the activation of Secure Communities and 287(g) task force agreements significantly increased violent victimization risk among Latinos, whereas they showed no evident impact on victimization risk among non-Latino Whites and Blacks. The activation of 287(g) jail enforcement agreements and anti-detainer policies had no significant impact on violent victimization risk during the period. Contrary to their stated purpose of enhancing public safety, our results show that the Secure Communities program and 287(g) task force agreements did not reduce crime, but instead eroded security in American communities by increasing the likelihood that Latinos experienced violent victimization. These results support the Federal government's ending of 287(g) task force agreements and its more recent move to end the Secure Communities program. Additionally, the results of our study add to the evidence challenging claims that anti-detainer policies pose a threat to violence risk.

Identifying and Explaining the Harmful Effects of Stalking Victimization: An Analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey

The criteria used to identify the crime of stalking have been debated since the 1990s, with most definitions including a so-called “fear standard” as a form of harm experienced by victims. The current study takes the next logical step in this dialogue to examine the varied harms that victims of stalking experience. These analyses operationalize harm through the creation of a harm scale based on several dimensions of fear and emotional distress. By taking this approach and utilizing data from the National Crime Victimization Survey’s Supplemental Victimization Survey, the current study identifies the extent of the harm suffered by stalking victims. Further, the determinants of harm following stalking victimization are identified. Finally, the present research examines the relationship between the invasiveness of the stalker’s conduct and the harm experienced by victims, finding a positive relationship wherein more invasive encounters correspond with a greater degree of harm to victims.

Estimating the economic impact of interpersonal violence in Mexico in 2021: projecting three hypothetical scenarios for 2030.

To calculate the economic impact of violence across Mexico in 2021 and project costs for 2021-2030. Incidence data was obtained from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, (SESNSP), National Population Council (CONAPO), National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), and the National Survey of Victimization and Perception of Public Safety (ENVIPE). Our model incorporates incidence estimates of the costs of events associated with violence (e.g., homicides, hospitalizations, rapes, extortions, robbery, etc). The economic impact of crime and violence in Mexico for the year 2021 has been estimated at about $192 billion US dollars, which corresponds to 14.6% of the national GDP. By reducing violence 50% by 2030, we estimate savings of at least US$110 billion dollars. This represents a saving of US$1 376 372 for each company and more than US$66 771 for each Mexican. Violence and homicides have become one of the most pressing public health and economic concerns for their effect on health, development, and economic growth. Due to low cost and high impact, prevention is the most efficient way to respond to crime and violence while also being an essential component of sustainable strategies aimed at improving citizen security.

The Polish Variant of Patriarchy? Explaining the Relationship Between Gender Inequality and Violence Against Women in Poland.

The largest European victimization survey of violence against women (VAW), has revealed an interesting paradox: countries with the highest gender equality indices had the highest VAW indices, while countries with low gender equality, also had low VAW indices. The country with the lowest VAW rates was Poland. This article attempts to explain this paradox. First, the results of the FRA study regarding Poland and its methodological issues are described. As these explanations may prove insufficient, it is necessary to recourse to sociological theories of VAW, together with analyses of the sociocultural roles of women, and gender relations since the communist period (1945-1989). The key question is whether the Polish variant of the patriarchy is more respectful toward women than Western European gender equality.

Violent victimization at the intersections of sexual orientation, gender identity, and race: National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2019.

Prior research has found that experiences with violence in the U.S. differ across individual demographic characteristics, including race, gender, and sexual orientation. However, peer reviewed studies have yet to examine the relationship between the intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation, victimization risk, and characteristics of victimization. We use data from three years (2017-2019) of the National Crime Victimization Survey, the primary source of information on criminal victimization in the United States, to examine victimization at the intersection of sexual orientation, gender, and race/ethnicity. We test whether non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White sexual and gender minority (SGM) persons aged 16 or over are victimized at greater rates than their non-SGM counterparts and assess whether there are differences between sexual minority females and males of each racial group. We further document characteristics of victimization such as reporting to the police by SGM status and race or ethnicity. We find that SGMs are disproportionately more likely to be victims of violent crime than non-SGM people, and these disparities are present across the assessed racial and ethnic groups (non-Hispanic Black odds ratio [OR] = 3.3, 90% CI [CI] = 1.36, 5.16; Hispanic OR = 4.5, CI = 2.25, 6.71; non-Hispanic White OR = 4.8, CI = 2.25, 6.71). However, sexual orientation disparities are statistically distinguishable for lesbian or bisexual (LB) non-Hispanic White and Hispanic females but not for non-Hispanic Black LB females. Among LB females, the overall differences in victimization were primarily driven by bisexual respondents. We further find racial and ethnic differences among SGM victims in the likelihood of having the victimization reported to the police, in the utilization of community (non-police) resources, and in other aspects of victimization experiences, such as whether arrests occurred or in the suspicion that the violent incident was a hate crime. Our findings raise indicate a complex picture of how sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, and race and ethnicity interact in victimizations and their characteristics that should be further explored.

Prevalence of Violent Victimization and Associated Factors among Psychiatric Outpatients

Background: Victimizations, coupled with the existing political and socioeconomic instability in East Africa, poses unbearable burden on people with mental illness. Methods: Six hundred twenty nine psychiatric patients were interviewed by trained psychiatry clinicians consecutively to study prevalence, and associated factors of victimization by using interviewer administered standard international crime victim survey questions. Analysis was done by using SPSS version 20. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p-value =<0.05 were used to declare the statistical significance. Results: Lifetime and past year prevalence of victimization were 57.4% and 27.4% respectively. Majority of men were perpetrated by Strangers and acquaintances where as majority of women by near family members. In Binary Logistic Regression analysis: factors such as being female; history of psychiatric admission, suicidal attempt, previously cigarette smoking, khat chewing; criminal history and violent perpetration had significant association with victimization. Conclusion: The study identified high prevalence of victimization on people with mental illness which is potential for the formation of stress strain reaction as well as violation of legal rights of that population. Cooperation between law enforcers and mental health clinicians is needed.

Domestic violence victimization among Chinese women and its relevance to their economic power.

This study conducted a survey of domestic violence victimization among women in China. Previously little research has been conducted on the subject of domestic violence against Chinese women as well as its relevance to their own economic power. Using online questionnaires, this study collected data about 412 women with current or previous marital status who came from four income brackets in Beijing and Shanghai. It revealed that the proportions of physical, emotional, economic, and sexual violence they experienced were about 27.91%, 62.38%, 21.12%, and 30.10%, respectively. Women belonging to the highest income bracket faced almost the same risk of domestic violence compared with other income groups. Furthermore, there was a slight upward tendency in physical and emotional violence victimization in the highest-income group. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that adverse childhood experiences, arguments between couples due to different opinions regarding gender ideologies, and the approval level for specific gender ideologies were common significant factors across different income brackets. When all income brackets were considered, a higher income was tested as a protective factor with regard to sexual violence. As for the income gap between couples, women whose incomes were "once higher than that of the husband but now lower/almost the same" or "always higher than that of the husband" faced a higher risk of physical violence than women whose incomes were "always lower than/almost the same as that of the husband." This study not only revealed the reality of domestic violence victimization in China but also suggested that more attention should be paid to high-income women's domestic violence victimization as well as the importance of helping them both through academia and domestic violence support institutions.

Издержки российского общества от преступности: измерение с помощью компенсирующего изменения дохода

The paper estimates the cost of crime in Russia through an indirect approach. Using a national victimization survey, we estimate the elasticity of life satisfaction with respect to victimization and income. With estimated elasticities, we calculate the compensating variation: the increase in household income which would compensate for the decrease in life satisfaction due to victimization. Assuming strict exogeneity, one crime costs 135.2 thousand rubles ($2190), and the total societal cost amounts to 1.75 trillion rubles ($28.3 billion) of annual household income (1.3% of GDP).

Victims of Their Own Fear: the Perceived Safety and Crime Victim Experience in Russia

In recent decades, criminologists around the world have observed a decrease in the level of crime, especially violent crime, that is, the so-called “great crime drop”. However, the actual safety may not correspond to subjective safety, i.e., how people perceive their safety against various threats. In this article, we use the Russian Crime Victimization Survey(2021) conducted by the Institute for the Rule of Law at the European University at St. Petersburg to study the relationships between fear of crime, and the sociodemographic and the criminological characteristics of the respondents. These data make it possible to assess how the experience of victims of various crimes and their fear of different types of crimes are related. We find that the relationships between socio-demographic characteristics and fear of crime in Russia are broadly similar to those observed in other countries. At the same time, we identify a number of noteworthy features regarding crime victims. First, the victim experience increases the level of fear of crime on average. Second, the more serious the crime incidents people have experienced in the past, the higher their level of fear of crime. Third, victims of classic in-person crimes (such as theft or assault) often fear future crime. Moreover, in case of property crime, they tend to fear future property crime but not violence. At the same time, victims of violence can fear future property crime along with violence. The fact that the incident was remote (committed via the Internet or telephone) is not related to the fear of crime. Thus, the fear of “classic” crimes is experienced differently by the victims as compared to remote crimes which poses broader questions about the dynamics of perceived safety and the demand for the law enforcement involvement in the future.

Understanding Predictors of Violent and Non-Violent Crime Victimization among Asian-American/Pacific Islanders

ABSTRACT Violent crimes targeting the Asian-American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Anti-Asian violence existed before the pandemic, few have examined the predictors of AAPI crime victimization. Given this gap in the literature, the current study examined the factors that predicted violent and nonviolent crime victimization using a sample of 342 victimization incidents from 292 individuals self-identified as AAPI in the 2019 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The implications of this analysis for our understanding of AAPI victimization will be discussed in detail, along with future directions for research involving anti-Asian racism and violence.

1인 가구 스토킹위협과 범죄비용에 관한 연구

This study aims to examine whether crime-related economic cost are statistically significant for subjects recognizing the stalking threat among single-person households, and to make specific suggestions on the current single-person household policy. To this end, this study reprocessed raw data from ‘2020 Korean National Crime Victimization Survey’ collected by the ‘Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice’, and Poisson regression analysis was conducted by using IBM SPSS Statistics 28 package program. The cases used in the analysis were sampled for single-person households nationwide, and analyze whether the group who answered yes to the question of “I'm afraid that someone will chase or bother me persistently by phone, etc” has significant different in economic costs for crime prevention with group who answered no. However, the definition of cost fo crime was analyzed including the expected value for crime prevention and the actual value for actually paid. As a result of the analysis, statistically significant values were found for the cost of crime(cost invested in self-defense tool) and lfestyle(which can be measured as expected value for crime prevention, such as possession of a vehicle for late night travel not taking a taxi alone at night). Since the analysis was conducted with gender and age controlled, the group recognizing the stalking threat among single-person households in Korea is empirically more likely to pay or pay more for cost of crime than those who do not. In conclusion, this study discussed improvement for current single-person households security and safety policy and described related suggestions.

Hate crimes against LGBT people: National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2019.

We estimate the prevalence and characteristics of violent hate crime victimization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the United States, and we compare them to non-LGBT hate crime victims and to LGBT victims of violent non-hate crime. We analyze pooled 2017-2019 data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (n persons = 553, 925;n incidents = 32, 470), the first nationally representative and comprehensive survey on crime that allows identification of LGBT persons aged 16 or older. Descriptive and bivariate analysis show that LGBT people experienced 6.6 violent hate crime victimizations per 1,000 persons compared with non-LGBT people's 0.6 per 1,000 persons (odds ratio = 8.30, 95% confidence interval = 1.94, 14.65). LGBT people were more likely to be hate crime victims of sexual orientation or gender bias crime and less likely to be victims of race or ethnicity bias crimes compared to non-LGBT hate crime victims. Compared to non-LGBT victims, LGBT victims of hate crime were more likely to be younger, have a relationship with their assailant, and have an assailant who is white. Compared to LGBT victims of non-hate violence, more LGBT hate crime victims reported experiencing problems in their social lives, negative emotional responses, and physical symptoms of distress. Our findings affirm claims that hate crimes have adverse physical and psychological effects on victims and highlight the need to ensure that LGBT persons who experience hate crime get necessary support and services in the aftermath of the crime.

Financial fraud victimization: an examination of distress and financial complications

PurposeThis study expands the empirical understanding of financial fraud victims and the consequences that emerge as a result of financial fraud victimization. In addition, this study aims to assess the impact of the unique role victims play in financial fraud and the impact self-identifying as a victim has on the negative consequences they experience.Design/methodology/approachData from the Supplemental Fraud Survey to the National Crime Victimization Survey are used to assess the negative consequences of financial fraud victimization.FindingsResults suggest that victims of financial fraud experience increased distress and financial complications following their victimization experience. In addition, self-reported victim status is found to significantly increase a respondent’s likelihood of reporting emotional distress and financial complications. Implications for research, theory and policy are discussed.Originality/valueWhile empirical studies on the consequences of identity theft victimization have been increasing in recent years, financial fraud victimization remains understudied. Given the victim involvement in financial fraud, the consideration of financial fraud independent of identity theft fraud is vital.

How to Stop a Stalker: Perceptions and Predictors of Deterring Unwanted Pursuits

Research has identified several strategies victims adopt to deter unwanted conduct from stalkers. Whether such strategies are effective, however, is relatively unknown. Using stalking data from the 2016 National Crime Victimization Survey, the current study examines the effectiveness of safety strategies as a deterrent and whether effects are conditioned by how victims know their stalker. Victims who restricted digital access or involved the police were more likely to report the unwanted conduct had stopped, net of victim and situational contexts. These findings were consistent regardless of whether victims were pursued by intimate partner versus non-partner stalkers. The success of strategies was not universal and what works to deter stalkers was related to victim characteristics, duration, and having access to resources.

An Examination of Existing Strategies to Address Street Robberies in the Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya, and their Effectiveness

Street robberies are a significant source of fear among the public because victims face an abrupt risk to life, loss of control, and an intrusion of individual space. Street robberies are a particularly dread initiating crime in view of the setting in which it is probably going to happen over the span of somebody's normal life. The 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey demonstrated that street robbers assaulted most victims on their approach to or from work, school, shopping, or running errands. The danger of damage and demise amid an assault further substantiates the open's dread of theft. This study sought to examination of existing strategies to address street robberies in the Nairobi Central Business District, and their Effectiveness. The study was underpinned by the Strain theory by Robert Merton, Social Disorganization and Routine Activity Theory by Cohen & Felson. The study adopted a descriptive research design and targeted persons who had been victims of street robbery within Nairobi CBD in the course of the one year preceding the study. Simple random sampling was used to sample (30%) 107 respondents out of a target population of 356 victims as per the police records within Nairobi CBD. Questionnaires were employed to collect quantitative data from the primary sample while key informant interview guides were employed to collect qualitative data from Key informants. Data collection instruments were piloted before the actual data collection process. Validity and reliability of the study questionnaire were ascertained before commencement of the study. Research findings revealed that majority of the respondents (90.1%) highlighted the national police service as one of the key organizations that deal with the crime of street robbery, 40.2% identified the courts and the rest (19.5%) identified officials from Nairobi city county security department. Majority of respondents (92.6%) indicated that there were street lights while 59.6% agreed that there were CCTV cameras on major streets and terminals, police patrols was confirmed by 54.2% of the respondents, presence of city county askaris (22.3%), and a few ((9.6%) of them pointed that they could see private security guards as strategies for addressing street robberies in Nairobi CBD. When asked on the effectiveness of the existing strategies to address street robberies, most (80.9%) of the respondents asserted that the strategies were not effective. In view of the study findings, the study recommended the development of policies to address street robberies with an insight into the factors encouraging the robberies, the location and crime patterns where the crime happens, and the profiles of both the offenders and victims. Keywords: Strategies, Street Robberies, Nairobi Central Business District, Effectiveness. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/81-05 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Farm Crime and Farmer-Police Relationships in Rural Australia

This article presents select findings from ‘farm crime’ victimisation surveys undertaken in the two most populous Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. We examine the findings in relation to farmer crime victimisation, their willingness to report crime, and their worry about crime, as well as farmer perspectives on policing generally and the policing of farm crime specifically. In both states, there are high levels of victimisation, high levels of worry, low- to mid-levels of confidence in the police, and there remains a gap between experiences of farm crime and reporting. Both states have police tasked specifically with addressing farm crime. The Victoria Police have Farm Crime Liaison Officers that specialise in assisting with farm related crimes, however this is a voluntary role which forms part of an officer’s larger workload. By contrast, the New South Wales Police Force Rural Crime Prevention Team is a dedicated team consisting of specialised rural crime investigators and intelligence practitioners focused on proactive and preventative interventions in farm crime. Farmers in both states were surveyed regarding their awareness and engagement with these rural policing teams, and we examined how this may shape victimisation, reporting, worry and the relationships between police and farmers. In New South Wales, awareness and direct contact with rural crime police led to both increased satisfaction with police and crime reporting. Respondents with awareness of this team also express significantly less worry of crime, whilst those with direct contact did not. We conclude the article by discussing and contextualising these findings within rural criminology and considering ways forward for the policing of farm crime.

Crime Reporting and Institutional Reputation of the Police in Mexico

Understanding the determinants of crime reporting is fundamental to developing responsive judicial services that seek to pursue justice while fostering good relations with citizens. Building on Carpenter’s (Carpenter, D. (2014). Reputation and power: Organizational image and pharmaceutical regulation at the FDA. Princeton University Press.) dimensions of reputation and the principles of procedural justice, this article aims to explore the influence of institutional reputation on crime reporting decisions for the Mexican case. To test three hypotheses at an individual level, nested logit models were estimated with information from a victimization survey in Mexico over a 9-year period. Findings suggest that time spent in prosecutors’ offices and the perception of untrustworthiness, related to two of the reputation dimensions described in this study’s framework, are negatively associated to the probability of reporting a crime. Our results have implications for public policy regarding the treatment by the police of the population reporting a crime. This is particularly relevant in regions such as Latin America, characterized by high victimization and the lack of adequate procedural justice in situations of contact between the public and police authorities.

Victim and third-party reporting of violent victimization to the police in incidents involving victims with disabilities

Objectives: Reporting an incident to police is a key event in the criminal legal process. The current study centers types of disability and how this may shape victim and third-party reporting while considering well-known correlates. Methods: Using the National Crime Victimization Survey (2016–2020), the current study examines police reporting in incidents involving victims with disabilities compared to victims without disabilities. This study not only considers whether the victim reported, but also third-party reporting to the police. We also explore the reasons why individuals with disabilities did not report incidents to police. Results: Incidents involving victims with cognitive disabilities were less likely to be reported to the police by the victim. There were no statistical differences in third-party reporting for any of the forms of disability considered. Notably, in incidents involving both Deaf/Blind victims and victims with physical disabilities, victims were more likely to cite perceptions of police ineffectiveness as a reason for not reporting. In incidents with victims with physical or cognitive disabilities, fear of reprisal from the offender was a more salient concern. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of examining the victimization experiences of marginalized populations and their willingness to engage with the criminal legal system.

Assessing the seriousness of cybercrime: The case of computer misuse crime in the United Kingdom and the victims’ perspective

The reform of the Crime Survey of England and Wales (a national victim survey) has exposed a very high number of individuals who fall victim to computer misuse cybercrimes such as hacking, computer viruses and ransomware. These crimes receive very little attention from the criminal justice system and very few are brought to justice, partly because of the nature of them (global crimes), but also because of a lack of capability among the police. This paper draws on official statistics, an empirical survey and interview research with computer misuse victims. The paper juxtaposes the low priority and lack of resources given to this crime by political and police leaders against many victims’ perceptions and experiences of the crime as equivalent if not more serious than physical counterparts such as burglary, where there is greater interest. The increasing prominence of the virtual world in human life and the impacts of these crimes call for a reappraisal of the official assessment of seriousness in order to raise the priority and increase the capacity of criminal justice towards such offences.