CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION IN THE U S (UNITED STATES) SUMMARY FINDINGS OF 1977-78 CHANGES IN CRIME AND OF TRENDS SINCE 1973

• NCJ Number: 61368
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 3 pages
• Corporate Author: National Criminal Justice Information & Statistics Service
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FOCUSING ON CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES, THIS ADVANCE REPORT SUMMARIZES FINDINGS OF THE 1977-78 NATIONAL CRIME SURVEY (NCS); CHANGES IN CRIME AND TRENDS SINCE 1973 ARE NOTED.

Abstract

DATA FOR NCS ARE COLLECTED BY MEANS OF INTERVIEWS WITH A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF PERSONS AGE 12 AND OVER LIVING IN APPROXIMATELY 60,000 HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS THE NATION. DATA IN THIS REPORT, COLLECTED BY THE U.S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS FOR LEAA, ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO REVISION. SURVEY FINDINGS INDICATE THAT OF THE CRIME RATES FOR PERSONAL AND HOUSEHOLD OFFENSES MEASURED BY THE NCS, ONLY PERSONAL LARCENY WITH CONTACT ROSE BETWEEN 1977 AND 1978. THE VICTIMIZATION RATES FOR RAPE, ROBBERY, ASSAULT, PERSONAL LARCENY, AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT WERE UNCHANGED DURING THIS PERIOD. THE RATES AT WHICH CRIMES WERE UNREPORTED TO POLICE WERE ALSO UNCHANGED BETWEEN 1977 AND 1978, ALTHOUGH RELATIVELY FEWER CRIMES OF VIOLENCE WERE REPORTED IN 1978 THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. BETWEEN 1973 AND 1978, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE OBSERVED IN THE INCIDENCE OF ASSAULT, PERSONAL LARCENY WITHOUT CONTACT, AND HOUSEHOLD LARCENY. CLEAR DECREASES WERE FOUND IN THE VICTIMIZATION RATES FOR PERSONAL ROBBERY AND HOUSEHOLD BURGLARY, AS WELL AS AN APPARENT REDUCTION IN THE RATE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT. TABLES FOR 1973 TO 1978 CONTAIN THE NUMBER OF VICTIMIZATIONS, VICTIMIZATION RATES, AND COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN VICTIMIZATION RATES FOR PERSONAL AND HOUSEHOLD CRIMES. THOSE FOR 1977 TO 1978 DEPICT CHANGES IN POLICE REPORTING RATES FOR PERSONAL AND HOUSEHOLD CRIMES. FOOTNOTES AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (WJR)