NCJ Number
250195
Journal
PLoS ONE Volume: 11 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2016 Pages: 1-8
Date Published
July 2016
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Using National Crime Victimization Survey 2008-2012 data, this retrospective cohort study examined the association between reporting victimization to police and subsequent victimization.
Abstract
Overall, reporting victimization to police was associated with fewer future victimizations, which shows the importance of reporting victimizations to police in preventing subsequent victimizations. This association may be attributed to police action and victim services received as a result of reporting crime. Out of 18,657 survey respondents, 41 percent reported their initial victimization to police and had a future victimization rate of 42.8/100 person-years (PY) (95 percent CI: 40.7, 44.8). The future victimization rate of those who did not report to the police (59 percent) was 55.0/100 PY (95 percent CI: 53.0, 57.0). The adjusted rate ratio comparing police reporting to not reporting was 0.78 (95 percent 0.72, 0.84) for all future victimizations, 0.80 (95 percent CI: 0.72, 0.90) for interpersonal violence, 0.73 (95 percent CI: 0.68, 0.78) for thefts, and 0.95 (95 percent CI: 0.84, 1.07) for burglaries. Respondents were 12+ years old household members who may or may not have been victimized. They were interviewed biannually for 3 years, and completed at least one follow-up survey after their first reported victimization between 2008 and 2012. Crude and adjusted generalized linear mixed regression for survey data with Poisson link were used to compare rates of future victimization. (Publisher abstract modified)