NCJ Number
191487
Date Published
December 2000
Length
12 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the rationale for and the methodology of the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS), this paper provides an overview of global criminal victimization and discusses the relationship between crime and economic development.
Abstract
The three main reasons for establishing the ICVS were to provide a means for comparing crime in different countries, the lack of any alternative standardized measure, and the promotion of the victim survey in countries that had no, or only limited experience of it. The ICVS has been conducted by using computer-assisted telephone interviewing and face-to-face interviews. In all developed countries and in some countries in transition, a national sample that has ranged between 1,000 and 2,000 respondents has been used; in most developing countries and countries in transition, a city sample of 1,000 has been used. There have been three rounds of the ICVS: 1989, 1992/94, and 1996/97. The ICVS found that criminal victimization was a widespread feature of urban areas across the globe. Victimization by conventional crime was commonly experienced by all nations, particularly inhabitants of large cities. Irrespective of the part of the world, over a 5-year period, two out of three inhabitants of large cities were victimized by crime. Victimization rates were highest in Latin America and Africa, and they were the lowest in Asia. Countries in transition have shown rates similar to those of Western Europe. In all parts of the world, the most frequently reported crime was vehicle theft. An analysis of ICVS data showed that crime apparently had a degree of independence from levels of economic development. There was no strong evidence that developing countries had higher rates of violent crime than developed countries, and the assumption that the developed world had higher property-crime rates than developing countries has not proven true, at least in urban areas. 6 tables and 13 references