NCJ Number
115275
Date Published
1988
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This bulletin reports on cases in which respondents to the Canadian Urban Victimization Survey recalled more than one criminal victimization.
Abstract
Early in 1982, the Ministry of the Solicitor General conducted a victimization survey in seven major urban centers. A random sample of 61,000 residents 16 years old or older was asked about their perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system, their experience with certain crimes, and the impact of criminal victimization on the respondents. One-third of all victims of household offenses recalled multiple victimization involving property crime. One-fourth of all individual victims of personal crime experienced more than one such incident during the 1 year reference period. Multiple victimization was the most pronounced among households and persons who experienced the least common and, in the case of personal offenses, the most serious type of offense. Cross-crime victimization was also more likely to occur among crime victims for every type of household and personal offense than would be expected for the general population. A comparison of domestic and nondomestic assault victims shows the different nature of these two types of assault. The circumstances and consequences of domestic and nondomestic assault may often be as dissimilar as any other two personal offense types. The phenomenon of multiple victimization presents a significant challenge to the development of policies and programs to address the prevention of chronic crime victimization and the needs of this victim population. 11 tables.