NCJ Number
177325
Date Published
1998
Length
48 pages
Annotation
This study reviews the research on repeat victimization (RV) and draws implications for police crime-control policies.
Abstract
Some conclusions justified by the RV research to date are that an initial victimization is the best predictor of another victimization; when victimization recurs, it tends to happen shortly after the previous victimization; high crime rates and "hot spots" are due to RV; a major reason for RV is that offenders later take advantage of opportunities created by the first victimization; and those who repeatedly victimize the same target tend to be more established in crime careers than those who do not. Focusing on RVs as a police crime-control strategy makes sense for a number of reasons. First, focusing on RVs inevitably puts police resources in the areas of highest crime; second, concentrating on RVs provides protection for those at greatest risk of future victimization; third, given that RVs occur within a time frame, police resources can be planned temporally as well as spatially; fourth, it fuses the police responsibilities of victim support and crime prevention; and fifth, a focus on RVs ensures that habitual offenders will be targeted. This study describes projects that aim to reduce crime through the prevention of RV, and points of contention about RV are addressed, including displacement, personal and household differences in risk for RV, and differences between swift and delayed RV. 4 tables and 71 references