NCJ Number
170722
Journal
European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (1996) Pages: 48-70
Date Published
1996
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes data from the 1989 and 1992 International Crime (Victims) Survey (ICS), which included questions on victimization in the previous year and over the past 5 years; victims were also asked to rate the seriousness of their victimization on a scale of 1 to 3.
Abstract
Comparative data are presented on the level of victimization in 23 industrialized nations. Samples in most of the countries were 2,000 households per year. Victimization rates for car theft, theft from cars, burglaries, contact crimes, and aggressive crimes are discussed. The ICS results show that crime currently impacts many people's lives, as over one in five people in most of the countries surveyed have experienced at least one incident of theft or damage to their property or some form of aggressive behavior in the last year. With the exceptions of Japan and Switzerland, all industrialized countries suffer from an appreciable level of property and aggressive crime, particularly in more urbanized areas. The ICS results concerning the rating of crime seriousness show a high level of consistency across 14 countries. In all these countries, the 17 types of crimes covered in the survey are rated similarly. This indicates a broad consensus about the seriousness of various types of conventional crime. This suggests that the further harmonization of criminal justice policies in Europe is feasible. 12 figures and 32 references