Once Bitten, Twice Bitten: Repeat Victimization and Its Implications for Crime Prevention

• NCJ Number: 156376
• Author(s): G Farrell; K Pease
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 38 pages
• Corporate Author: Great Britain Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit
• Sale Source: Great Britain Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Crime Prevention Unit Series Paper 46.

Annotation

This paper uses statistics gathered by the Great Britain Home Office and other sources to describe the extent to which certain victims or places are repeatedly subject to crime, and speculates about the implications for crime prevention.

Abstract

This paper argues that a focus upon those who have already been victimized can help in the integration of victim support and crime prevention services, provide a police performance indicator, and aid in the dispensing of limited crime prevention services where they are most needed. The probability of repeat victimization is examined in terms of residential burglary, school burglary and property crime, racial attacks, and domestic violence. Risk factors for multiple victimization include location of residence, lifestyle variables, interpersonal relationships, or occupation. Some of the methodological issues in the study of repeat victimization pertain to the use of recorded crime data, police incident logs, and crime survey data; the need to count attempted crimes; and victim eligibility for revictimization. The final chapter discusses how to apply the lessons of repeat victimization to crime prevention. 4 figures, 5 tables, and 53 references