NCJ Number
131142
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Between 1988 and 1989, incidences of aggravated assault, robbery, and rape have increased significantly in Delaware; that State has higher increases in those categories of crime than experienced nationally.
Abstract
During the 12-year period between 1978 and 1989, the change in the numbers of reported forcible rape have been most significant; this increase is partly due to the growing number of reported sexual offenses against children, which are charged as felonies and reported in rape statistics. Reported aggravated assaults have recently resurged, possibly related to illicit drug activities. While reported robberies also increased during the last year of the reporting period, it was noted that robbery has been cyclical over the past 12 years, and the rate has not gone outside of an expected variance. Motor vehicle theft was the one category of property crime that increased significantly in Delaware in 1989; burglary and arson incidents declined. Illicit drug arrests increased dramatically in the reporting period, probably due to the increase in manpower dedicated to drug law enforcement. The biggest area of increase in arrests for both adults and juveniles was related to cocaine. 3 tables and 13 figures