Crime Victim Services (CVS)

Statistics

General Data

The Crime Index rate of 4,267 reported offenses per 100,000 population for 1999 represents an 8 percent decrease since the year before (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2000).
Law enforcement agencies across the nation recorded a Crime Index clearance rate of 21 percent; the rate was highest for murder (69 percent),and lowest (14 percent) for burglary (Ibid).
There was an average of 2.5 full-time officers for every 1,000 people in the U.S. (lbid).
Victimization rates in 1999 were the lowest since the creation of the National Crime Victimization Survey in 1973 (Rennison, August 2000).
In 1999, there were 33 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. This represented a 10 percent decrease from 1998. The property victimization rate fell 9 percent since last year. However, there was an increase in rape (20 percent) and sexual assault (33.3 percent) rates in1999 (lbid).
Forty-four percent of overall violent victimization and 24 percent of all property crimes were reported to police in 1999 (Ibid).
An estimated 28.8 million violent and property crimes were experienced by persons over 12 in 1999. This included 21.2 million property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft, and household theft), 7.4 million violent crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault), and about 0.2 million personal thefts (pocket picking and purse snatching) (ibid).
Males experienced violent crime at rates 28 percent greater than that of females. However, women were raped and sexually assaulted at 7.5 times greater the rate of males (Ibid).
In 1998, urban residents accounted for only 29 percent of the U.S. population, but sustained 38 percent of all violent and property crime. The proportion was more balanced with suburban residents, who accounted for 51 percent of the population and suffered 47 percent violent and property crimes. Rural residents, making up 20 percent of the U.S. population, were victims of 15 percent of all violent and property crime (Duhart, 2000).

Cost of Crime

It is estimated that the value of stolen property in connection with property crimes in 1999 was nearly $14.8 billion (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2000).
The monetary loss to victims of larceny-thefts in the United States in 1999 was more than $4.7 billion (ibid).
It is estimated that more than $7 billion worth of motor vehicles was stolen in 1999 (ibid).
The cost of on-line fraud to Internet users is more than $350 million year (National Association of Attorneys General, 1998).
The annual cost of sexual violence is a staggering $127 billion (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2000).
Crime victim assistance and victim compensation programs in all 50 states and 6 territories have been allotted $451.5 million in fiscal year 2000; over 90 percent of these funds are used to support state victim compensation and victim assistance programs; the remainder is used for training and technical assistance, as well as national demonstration projects (Office for Victims of Crime, 2000).
In 1996, retail industry experts estimate that grocery, drug, and discount chains suffered losses equivalent to 4 percent of annual sales due to theft (White-Collar Crime Fighter, 1999).
In 1997, actual dollar losses to check fraud were $512 million (Ibid).

Corrections

At the end of 1999, 6.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole - 3.1 percent of all U.S. adult residents (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Corrections, 2000).
Nearly 4.5 million adult men and women were on probation or parole at the end of 1999, an increase of about 119,000 during the year (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Probation, 2000).
Among offenders on probation, slightly more than half (51 percent) had been convicted for committing a felony, 48 percent for a misdemeanor, and 1 percent for other infractions. Seventy-seven percent of probationers were being actively supervised at the end of 1999; 10 percent were inactive cases, and 9 percent had absconded (Ibid).
Nearly all of the offenders on parole (97 percent) had been sentenced to incarceration for more than one year (lbid).
At midyear 1999, 605,943 inmates were held in the nation's local jails, up from 592,462 at midyear 1998 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Jail, 2000).
The number of people in federal institutions incarcerated for drug offenses is 62,852, which is 58.1 percent of all federal inmates (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2000).
In federal institutions, 1.7 percent of the inmates were sentenced to less than I year, 13.3 percent to 1-3 years, 14.5 percent to 3-5 years, 29.7percent to 5-10 years, 19.2 percent to 10-15 years, 9 percent to 15-20 years, 9.7 percent to more than 20 years, 2.9 percent to life, and 18 people were sentenced to death (Ibid).
Of 215,263 offenders released from federal prison between 1986 and1994,16 percent returned to prison within 3 years of release. Of the returning offenders, 60 percent returned due to a technical violation of release conditions, 30 percent due to a conviction for a new offense, and 10 percent for other violations (Sabol, 2000).
In 1998 an estimated 950,000 women were under the care, custody, or control of correctional agencies (Greenfeld, 1999).
Since 1990, the number of female defendants convicted of felonies in state courts has grown at more than twice the rate of increase in male defendants (Ibid)

Criminal Driving

Preliminary figures for 1999 show that intoxicated drivers killed nearly 16,000 men, women, and children. More than 630,000 people were injured (Lord, 2000).
A legally intoxicated person sat behind the wheel for one of every 140 miles driven in the United States in 1998 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000).
Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public more than $110 billion in 1998, including more than $50 billion in monetary costs and almost $70 billion in quality of life losses (Ibid).
The average alcohol-related fatality in the United States cost $3.2 million: $1.2 million in monetary costs, and $2 million in quality of life losses (lbid).
Alcohol-related crashes accounted for an estimated 16 percent of the $127 billion in U.S. auto insurance payments. Reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10 percent would save $3 billion in claims payments and loss adjustment expenses (Ibid).

Firearm Violence

The number of youths killed by gunshot wounds in the United States decreased 10 percent from 1997 to 1998 (Murphy, 2000).
In 1997, 4,205 children and teens died as a result of gunfire - 1 every 2 hours, nearly 12 every day; of these, 2,562 children and teens were murdered by gunfire (Ward, 1999).
The U.S. rate of children and teens killed by gunfire is 12 times higher than in the 25 other industrialized countries combined (Ibid).
There is a gun in 43 percent of households with children; there is a loaded gun in 1 in every 10 households with children (Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, 7999).
A study by the New England Journal of Medicine (1998) states that guns which are kept in the home are 22 times more likely to be used to kill a friend, relative, or acquaintance than for self-defense (Ibid).
Between 1992 and 1999, an annual average of 6,700 defendants were charged with a firearm offense in U.S. district courts (Scalia, 2000).
Imposed sentences for a Federal firearm offense increased from 79 months to 100 months on average (lbid).
Firearms are used in about 7 in 10 homicides (Rennison, August 2OOO).
Four out of five of the victims of fatal and nonfatal gunshot wounds from crime were male (Zawitz, 2000).
Of serious nonfatal violent victimizations, 28 percent were committed with a firearm, 4 percent were committed with a firearm and resulted in injury, and less than 1 percent resulted in gunshot wounds (lbid).

Hate Crime

In 1999 there was a total of 1,960 separate incidents against the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population. These incidents impacted 2,234 persons, and included 3,410 distinct crimes. Of the total incidents, 765 were reported to law enforcement, which refused to take a report in 10 percent of cases, took the report but made no arrest in 73 percent of cases, and made arrests in 17 percent of cases (Notional Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2000).
Over four-fifths of the perpetrators of anti-gay, -lesbian, -bisexual, and -transgender incidents were male, and two-thirds were under the age of 30. More than half (51 percent) of the total number of incidents recorded for 1999 involved a stranger perpetrator (lbid).
There were 457 active hate groups in the United States in 1999. Of these, 138 can be categorized as Ku Klux Klan groups, 130 as Neo-Nazis, 40 as Racist Skinheads, 46 as Christian Identity groups, 21 as Black Separatists, and the remaining 82 as other (Southern Poverty Law Center, Spring 2000).
The approximately 15 percent decrease in the total number of hate groups since 1998 is mainly due to 'mergers' of smaller groups with major ones (Southern Poverty Law Center, Winter 2000).
In early 2000, the Internet witnessed an increase in hate sites to a total of 305 (Ibid).
In 1999, there was a total of 7,876 hate crime incidents reported. Racial bias was the motivating factor in 4,295 of these incidents, religious bias in 1,411, sexual orientation bias in 1,317, ethnic bias in 829, and disability bias in 19 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2000).

School Crime

Across the country, 10 percent of all public schools reported at least one violent crime serious enough to call in law enforcement officials (Kaufman eta/., 1999).
Throughout 1997, students age 12 through 18 were victims of about 202,000 serious violent crimes at school (i.e., rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault). This same group was also victimized by 898,000 less violent crimes at school (Ibid).
In a study measuring the prevalence of hazing among the American high school population, Alfred University found that 30 percent of surveyed students reported engaging in potentially illegal acts as part of initiation into a group, 43 percent reported being subjected to humiliating activities, and 23 percent reported substance abuse in high school (Hoover, 2000).
One of the main reasons that surveyed victims of hazing failed to report it (36 percent) was that there was no one to tell, followed by the concern that adults would not handle it right (27 percent) (Ibid).
The data reported for 1998 by 481 four-year colleges and universities indicate that 1,240 forcible sex offenses, 159 non-forcible sex offenses,1,068 robberies, 2,267 aggravated assaults, 13,745 burglaries, 4,160 motor vehicle thefts, 539 arsons, 170 hate crimes, one manslaughter, and 20 murder incidents were reported on campuses with more than 5,000 students (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2000).

Workplace Violence

·While 9 percent of workers reported an assault or other violent act in their workplace in the past year, and 18 percent reported a threat or verbal intimidation, 3 out of every 4 say they are getting no guidance on how to prevent violence or how to recognize the dangers of violence, which in 1999 was the third leading cause of fatal workplace injuries, behind motor vehicle accidents and falls (Marlin Company, 2000).
Ten percent (13 million) workers say they are concerned about the behavior of a coworker they think could become violent. Twenty-five percent said their company offered training on workplace violence, 65 percent said theirs didn't, and 9 percent said they did not know (lbid).
In 1998, 709 (or 12 percent) of 6,026 fatal work-related injuries were homicides (Sygnatur, 2000).
Victim-perpetrator association could be identified in 60 percent of the cases. Of these, more than two-thirds involved robbers, 15 percent of the perpetrators were coworkers and former coworkers, 7 percent were acquaintances, and 4 percent relatives (Ibid).

Youth Violence

Juveniles make up 12 percent of all crime victims known to police, including 71 percent of all sex crime victims and 38 percent of all kidnaping victims (Finkelhor, Juveniles 2000).
Adult offenders are responsible for 55 percent of juvenile victimizations (Ibid).
Children under age 12 make up approximately one-quarter of all juvenile victims known to police and at least one-half of the juvenile victims of kidnaping and forcible sex offenses (lbid).
Twenty-two percent of juvenile crime victims are minorities; of adult crime victims, 19 percent are minorities (Ibid).
Seventeen percent of all persons arrested in 1999 were under the age of 18 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2000).
A study shows that 37 percent of students surveyed identified gang presence in their schools. The same study found a strong link between any type of student victimization and gang presence (Howell, 2000).
Areas with a population between 100,000 and 249,999 lead in the percentage of students who reported gangs (54 percent), closely followed by areas within the 250,000 to 999,999 range (53 percent), with areas with over 1 million people coming third (51 percent). However, even students in areas with a population of under 1,000 reported a high gang presence in their schools (23 percent) (Ibid).
People who had been crime victims before age 18 ended up earning approximately a dollar less per hour than similar children who were not crime victims. In the course of a lifetime this amounts to a 14 percent "victimization penalty" (Macmillan, 2000).

Frequently Requested Statistics

During fiscal year 1996, 2,190,480 crime victims received assistance and/or compensation following a victimization (Office for Victims of Crime, 1997).
An estimated 5 out of 6 people will be victims of either completed or attempted violent crimes at least once in their lives (Koppel, 1987).
According to The National Women's Study, 683,000 forcible rapes occur every year, which equals 56,916 per month; 1,871 per day; 78 per hour; and 1.3 per minute (National Center for Victims of Crime & Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1992).
Findings from The National Women's Study reveal that rape victims compared to non-crime victims were: 5.3 times more likely to have used prescription drugs non-medically (14.7 percent vs. 2.8 percent); 3.4 times as likely to have used marijuana (52.2 percent vs. 15.5 percent); 6 times more likely to have used cocaine (15.5 percent vs 2.6 percent); 10.1 times more likely to have used hard drugs other than cocaine (12.1 percent vs.1.2 percent); and 6.4 times more likely to have used hard drugs or cocaine(1 9.2 percent vs. 3 percent). Additionally, rape victims were 4.1 times more likely than non-crime victims to have contemplated suicide and 13 times more likely to have actually made a suicide attempt (Ibid).
In the United States, there are over 3,400 animal protection shelters and only about 1,200 shelters for battered women (Buel, 1994).
One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus(Hirsch, 1990).
Although the actual number of federal victims is not tracked, the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened 236,510 cases for investigation in fiscal year 1994. That same year, the U.S. Attorneys' offices issued indictments in 57,133 cases and identified 133,332 victims, a 41 percent increase from 1993. The number of child victims increased by 118 percent (Office for Victims of Crime, 1996).
Antonio Novello, the former Surgeon General, has estimated that domestic violence kills 58,000 people every 5 years, the same number lost in the Vietnam War (Gardner, 1992).

State Legislative Summary*

Thirty-two states have state constitutional rights for crime victims.
Every state and the District of Columbia allow victim impact statements at sentencing. Forty- eight states and the District of Columbia permit victim input concerning parole. In 7 of those states, victims may submit electronically recorded impact statements for consideration by the paroling authority.
In 22 states, a victim's right to confer with the prosecutor requires a prosecutor to obtain the victim's views concerning the proposed plea. Twenty-three states give victims the right to be heard or to have their views presented to the court at a hearing on the acceptance of a plea agreement.
In 41 states, victims are to be notified of canceled or rescheduled hearings.
As of June 1, 2000, 37 states have enacted identity theft legislation. Of those, 20 states consider identity theft a felony, 5 states treat the crime as a misdemeanor, and the remaining 12 states have varying classifications and penalties depending on the degree of violation, with the value of property stolen being the most common determining factor.
All states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws requiring HIV testing of certain sex offenders.
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia give crime victims the right to attend trial. However, in some of these states, a victim is still subject to exclusion if scheduled to testify as a witness.
In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, convicted sex offenders are required to register with state or local law enforcement. Each of the states and the District of Columbia have also enacted laws providing for community notification of the release of sex offenders or allow public access to sex offender registration information. Public Internet access to full sex offender registries is available in 16 states. Partial or community-specific listings are available on-line for 16 additional states.§
In 42 states, restitution orders may be enforced in the same manner as civil judgments. In 48 states, juvenile offenders may be ordered to pay restitution, and in 32 states, the child's parent or legal guardian may be held responsible for a portion of such restitution. In addition, civil liability for personal injury, property damage, or both resulting from a child's intentional act may be imposed against the child's parent or guardian in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
Victims are provided notice of the escape of a convicted offender in 48 states, although only 23 of those states require notification of victims when the offender is recaptured. Twenty-one states require victim notification when an offender escapes from a mental health facility, institution, or state hospital.
Courts in 42 states and the District of Columbia must consider evidence of domestic violence when determining child custody issues.
Stalking is a crime in every state and the District of Columbia. Eight states create a specific civil cause of action by statute for victims of stalking or harassment.
In 38 states, separate or secure waiting areas are to be provided where possible to minimize contact between victims and the offender's family members or friends during court proceedings in 38 states.
Forty-three states have enacted legislation providing employment intercession services. In some states, employment protection is provided for victims in an attempt to minimize the risk of employment termination, harassment, and loss of wages or benefits to victims absent from work to attend criminal judicial proceedings or participate in other prosecution-related activities.
In 28 states, individuals in dating relationships can obtain protective orders against their abusers. Of those, 17 states provide mechanisms for minors in dating relationships to secure such protection.

*Unless otherwise noted, these data reflect the status of legislation in states as of the end of their 1999 main legislative sessions. All data are derived from the National Center for Victims of Crimes' Legislative Database.

For additional information, please contact:

National Center for Victims of Crime 2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300 Arlington, VA 22201(703)276-2880 (703)276-2889 (fax) E-mail: ncvc@ncvc.org Web site: www.ncvc.org

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports Clarksburg, WV 26306-0154 (304)625-4995

National Criminal Justice Reference Service U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice, Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000 (800)851-3420 (301)519-5500 km. Web site: www.ncjrs.org

Reprinted, not in its entirety, from Crime and Victimization in America, Statistical Overview, National Center for Victims of Crime, 2000 edition