NCJ Number
137154
Date Published
1990
Length
338 pages
Annotation
Australia's National Committee on Violence has investigated the contemporary state of violent crime in the country and concludes that Australia is more violent today than it was before World War II.
Abstract
Although the homicide rate in Australia is relatively low by international standards and has shown no significant change over the past 20 years, the rate of nonfatal violence (assault, sexual assault, and robbery) has increased sharply since the early 1970's. Rates of violent crime are not evenly distributed across the country; for example, they tend to be higher in large cities than in rural areas. Violent offenders are overwhelmingly male, primarily between 18 and 30 years of age, and predominantly from blue collar backgrounds. Despite perceptions to the contrary, violent offending by juveniles is relatively uncommon, and gang violence is not a major problem in most jurisdictions. Most homicides and assaults are committed by persons known to the victim. Infants up to 1 year of age represent the age group at greatest risk of homicide. The overwhelming majority of child victims are killed by their parents or other relatives. Violence victims commonly fall into two broad categories: men who become engaged in altercations with other men, and women and children who suffer at the hands of men with whom they have been living. Most violence victims, like perpetrators, come from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds. Aboriginal Australians face a much greater risk of becoming victims of violence than do members of the general population. Alcohol plays a major role in violence. Firearms are used in about 40 percent of all homicides, but in a negligible proportion of nonfatal assaults. Violence is explained in terms of child development and family influences, cultural factors, and peers and schooling. Detailed recommendations to prevent and control violence are offered that involve public sector agencies, research agencies, local governments, private enterprises, professional groups, and other nongovernmental organizations. Supplemental information on the extent of violence in Australia is appended. References and illustrations