NCJ Number
164457
Journal
Psychology, Crime & Law Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (1994) Pages: 125-132
Date Published
1994
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Victim surveys are successful in revealing crimes that are not reported to the police and in monitoring trends over time and across areas, and they also pinpoint who is at risk of different crime types and provide information about the circumstances of criminal incidents.
Abstract
Victim surveys evolved in response to difficulties associated with measuring the incidence of crime based on official police statistics. Victim surveys overcome some of these difficulties because they involve interviews with individuals about their crime experiences, regardless of whether the crime was reported to or recorded by the police. In addition, victim surveys are especially useful in assessing the nature and extent of violent crime. Data from the 1988 British Crime Survey are used to analyze 280 violent incidents against male victims and 134 violent incidents against female victims. Principal component analysis of male victims revealed information on pub fights, fights between friends, occupational hazards, serious unprovoked wounding, and domestic violence. Principal component analysis of female victims provided information on domestic violence, leisure-related assaults, occupational hazards, friend-neighbor disputes, provoked assaults, and self-defense. Analysis confirmed the importance of domestic violence against women and pub-related violence against men. A typology of violent crime is suggested that goes beyond traditional legal definitions of crime. 8 references and 1 table