Victimization and Repeat Victimization Over the Life Span: A Predictive Study and Implications for Policy

• NCJ Number: 205977
• Journal: International Review of Victimology Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: 2004 Pages: 193-221
• Author(s): Thomas Gabor; Fernando Mata
• Editor(s): David Miers
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 29 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

Utilizing lifetime victimization data drawn from a national survey in Canada, this study examined the prevalence and distribution of victimization in the Canadian population and identifies factors that place people at risk of repeat victimization and those that protect someone from victimization.

Abstract

In this study, data on the prevalence of victimization and on repeat victimization were obtained from the 1999 General Social Survey (GSS), a national crime victimization survey conducted by Statistics Canada, covering a wide variety of issues related to victimization. Interviews were conducted by telephone with approximately 26,000 individuals from age 15 and over in the 10 Canadian provinces. The survey examined victimization in relation to a number of violent and property offenses. This study focused on three major violent crimes: sexual assault, assault, and robbery, and five of the most common property crimes: breaking and entering or burglary, motor vehicle theft, personal property theft, household theft, and vandalism. Overall, 57.8 percent of the respondents experienced a crime at least once during their lifetime. The most common victimizations reported were breaking and entering, motor vehicle theft, and assault. A total of 13.5 percent of the respondents were repeat victims of crime which meant that they had been victimized on at least two occasions. This study lends support to studies conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia that have demonstrated a concentration of victimization among a relatively small proportion of crime victims. It also corroborated other research indicating the elevated risk of victimization to which Aboriginal people are exposed. The study recommends the use of alternative methodologies to study victimization and for the validation of the GSS using a smaller number of face-to-face interviews in order to ascertain the role played by recall and disclosure issues in victimization surveys involving telephone interviews. Tables and references