NCJ Number
46906
Date Published
1976
Length
15 pages
Annotation
PHYSICAL INJURY DATA CULLED FROM AN EIGHT CITY VICTIMIZATION STUDY ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
IN CONJUNCTION WITH ITS NATIONAL CRIME SURVEY PROGRAM, THE LEAA HAS UNDERTAKEN VICTIMIZATION SURVEYS IN 26 AMERICAN CITIES. IN EACH CITY, A PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF 10,000 HOUSEHOLDS -- OR ABOUT 22,000 INDIVIDUALS -WAS DRAWN. IN EACH HOUSING UNIT SELECTED FOR STUDY, INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS 12 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER REGARDING VICTIMIZATIONS WITHIN THE PRECEDING YEAR. QUESTIONS WERE POSED DEALING WITH THE AMOUNT OF LOSS, THE EXTENT AND TYPES OF INJURY SUFFERED, WEAPON USE, MEDICAL ATTENTION, ETC. DATA RELATING TO VICTIM INJURIES IN THE FIRST EIGHT CITIES SURVEYED -- ATLANTA, (GA.) BALTIMORE (MD.), CLEVELAND (OHIO), DALLAS (TEX.), DENVER (COLO.), NEWARK (N.J.), PORTLAND (OREG.), AND ST. LOUIS (MO.) -ARE EXAMINED. IN THE 8 CITIES AN ESTIMATED 208,719 VICTIMS OF PERSONAL CRIME WERE IDENTIFIED, 25 PERCENT OF WHOM REPORTED SUFFERING SOME FORM OF INJURY. OF THOSE, 78 PERCENT REPORTED ONLY MINOR INJURIES. ADDITIONALLY, 2 PERCENT REPORTED RAPE INJURIES. CORRELATES OF PHYSICAL INJURY, WHICH INCLUDE THE TIME AND PLACE OF OCCURRENCE, USE OF WEAPONS BY THE OFFENDER, USE OF SELF-PROTECTIVE MEASURES BY THE VICTIM, PRIOR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VICTIM AND THE OFFENDER, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENDER, AND THE NUMBER OF PERPETRATORS ARE DISCUSSED. THE USE OF PREDICTIVE ATTRIBUTE ANALYSIS (PAA), A FORM OF MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS, IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE SIMULTANEOUS EFFECTS OF VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH INJURY IS DESCRIBED. PAA IS A HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUE IN WHICH SUBGROUPS ARE FORMED IN A STEPWISE FASHION ACCORDING TO THE STRENGTH OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE CRITERIA, IN THIS CASE INJURY VERSUS NO INJURY, AND THE ATTRIBUTES, IN THIS CASE THE CORRELATES OF PHYSICAL INJURY. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE OUTCOME OF A VICTIMIZATION OFTEN DEPENDS UPON THE SEQUENCE OF ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION THAT THE PARTICIPANTS CHOOSE TO FOLLOW, AND THAT THE EXAMINATION OF THE VICTIM-OFFENDER INTERCHANGE -- THE PARTICIPANTS' MOVES AND COUNTERMOVES -- IS FUNDAMENTAL TO UNDERSTANDING THE PHENOMENON OF BODILY INJURY IN PERSONAL VICTIMIZATIONS. TABULAR DATA ON VICTIMIZATIONS RESULTING IN INJURY BY MEANS OF WEAPONS, AND A HIERARCHICAL MODEL OF THE PAA TECHNIQUE ARE PROVIDED. REFERENCE NOTES ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)