NCJ Number
191489
Date Published
December 2000
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Based on the findings of the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS), this paper discusses people's reactions to crime, to police, victim support, and punishment.
Abstract
Regarding people's reactions to crime, the ICVS asked respondents how safe they felt when walking alone in their area after dark. Street safety was perceived to be highest by citizens in Asia, followed by Western Europe and the New World. In Africa, just less than 60 percent of the citizens felt safe. Among the world regions, the lowest percentage of citizens from countries in transition (13 percent) said they felt "very safe" on the streets after dark. The propensity to report crime to the police depended on the seriousness of the crime, whether tangible or intangible. Among the three crimes of burglary, robbery, and assault, the highest reporting level was for burglary, followed by robbery. Less than one-third of the victims of assault reported it to the police. Among the reasons for dissatisfaction with the police once burglary was reported were that the police did not do enough and seemed uninterested in pursuing an investigation. Only a few victims who reported their victimizations to police received any victim services. Assistance was most often given to victims of sexual offenses and robbery in the New World and Western Europe. Regarding punishment, on a regional level more than half of the respondents in the New World and Latin America as well as almost three-quarters in Asia and Africa opted for imprisonment as the preferred sanction. Following imprisonment, the next most preferred sentencing option was community service, which was favored by almost one-third of the respondents. 6 tables, 1 figure, and 6 references