NCJ Number
86681
Date Published
1978
Length
36 pages
Annotation
A random sample of 1,940 adults living in Nebraska households were asked whether they had been victims of one or more of eight types of crime in the last year and, if so, what had been their responses to the situation.
Abstract
This 1978 survey indicated that 24 percent of the adults in the State were crime victims in the 12 months preceding the survey (spring 1978), a 2 percent decrease in the victimization rate from the previous year. Almost 60 percent of all victimizations involved vandalism (38 percent) or fraud (21 percent). Less than half (43 percent) of all victimizations were reported to police. Motor vehicle theft and burglary were most frequently reported (about 70 percent), while fraud and rape were the least reported (minus 10 percent). The young, the nonwhite, and urban residents were the most likely to be crime victims. Although people under 30 years-old were the most likely to be crime victims, they were the least likely to report an offense to the police. While about three out of four adults considered police agencies to be effective in dealing with crime, only half considered the courts and the correctional system to be effective. Sixty percent of all Nebraska adults believed State government should 'do more' in the area of crime prevention, and only 1 percent felt the State should do less in crime prevention. Tabular and graphic data from the survey are provided. (Author summary modified)