NCJ Number
164240
Date Published
1995
Length
52 pages
Annotation
As part of the 1992 International Crime Victimization Survey, data were collected in February 1993, May 1993, and February 1995 through personal interviews with 2,173 Estonians who ranged in age from 16 to 74 years.
Abstract
The survey covered victimization due to violent and property offenses that were experienced by private persons or their households. It was found that crime victimization rates in Estonia declined between 1993 and 1995. Only crime rates for car theft and car vandalism and threats of violence were more prevalent in 1995 than in 1993. Homicide rates steadily increased, although most increases in violent crime between 1993 and 1995 involved threats rather than physical assaults. There was a clear decline in the prevalence of sexual victimization over the 1993-1995 period. Respondent ratings of crime seriousness differed greatly and seemed to depend on whether incidents violated personal integrity and on how direct the confrontation was between offender and victim. Reporting victimization to the police was much more frequent in the case of property crimes than in the case of violent crimes. Respondents were not very satisfied with the police in either 1993 or 1995. Crime rates in different geographic regions of Estonia and for different ethnic groups are compared, and precautions taken by respondents to avoid crime victimization are described. 30 references, 28 tables, and 22 figures