International Crime (Victim) Survey in the Developing World (From Computerization in the Management of the Criminal Justice System: Proceedings of the Workshop and the Symposium on Computerization of Criminal Justice Information at the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the

• NCJ Number: 167631
• Author(s): U Zvekic; A A del Frate
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Finland
• Note: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, International Crime Statistics Program

Annotation

The International Crime (Victim) Survey is discussed in terms of its nature and use and findings from 13 developing countries in five regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Asia/Pacific.

Abstract

The main objectives of the survey in developing countries are the promotion of information on crime and criminal justice to support informed decision-making and the provision of information on crime and criminal justice in the developing world for the development and testing of criminological theories. The data were gathered in 1991-93 and focused on persons aged 16 or over. Results revealed that property crime is the most frequent form of victimization and affects more than 50 percent of those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Consumer fraud and corruption and corruption are the most frequent in all the regions of the developing world and in most of the cities within the specific region. The spread of crime prevention measures is higher than the actual crime. In contrast, fear of crime is positively correlated with victimization. Participants generally agreed that imprisonment is the most appropriate sanction. Findings of this and other surveys indicate that the developing urban sites experience higher victimization rates than industrial countries for the selected types of crime. Findings also suggest that development brings new opportunities for crime, effective crime prevention, and the equitable administration of criminal justice and that victim surveys can aid the process of choosing strategies that protect and respect community and victims' needs and rights. Figures, tables, and footnotes