NCJ Number
62471
Date Published
1979
Length
15 pages
Annotation
DATA FROM THE NATIONAL CRIME SURVEY (NSC) MEASURED THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF INJURY TO VICTIMS OF PERSONAL CRIMES.
Abstract
THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INJURY AND THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF VARIABLES WERE EXPLORED: VICTIM CHARACTERISTICS, OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS, AND SITUATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS. TWO DIFFERENT CRITERIA OF INJURY WERE EMPLOYED IN THE ANALYSIS--MINOR INJURY AND MAJOR INJURY. VICTIMS WHO RECEIVED INJURIES REQUIRING MEDICAL ATTENTION WERE COMPARED WITH ALL OTHER VICTIMS. VICTIMIZATION WAS CATEGORIZED EITHER AS THEFT RELATED OR NON THEFT-RELATED BECAUSE THIS APPROACH WAS USEFUL FOR AN ANALYSIS OF PERSONAL INJURY. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT ONE-QUARTER OF THE VICTIMS OF PERSONAL CRIMES RECEIVED SOME INJURY AND ONE-TENTH RECEIVED A SERIOUS INJURY; NONTHEFT-RELATED VICTIMIZATIONS ARE MORE LIKELY TO RESULT IN INJURY; THE NUMBER OF SITUATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT SHOW A RELATION TO PERSONAL INJURY IS GREATER THAN THE NUMBER OF VICTIM OR OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS. MULTIPLE OFFENDERS POSSESSION OF A WEAPON BY THE OFFENDER, EMPLOYMENT OF SELF-PROTECTIVE MEASURES BY THE VICTIM WERE ALL FOUND TO BE STRONGLY RELATED TO PERSONAL INJURY FOR NONTHEFT-RELATED VICTIMIZATIONS. HOWEVER, ONLY THE RELATION BETWEEN POSSESSION OF A WEAPON BY THE OFFENDER AND INJURY REMAINED WHEN A HIGHER THRESHOLD DEFINITION OF SERIOUS INJURY WAS USED. AMONG VICTIMIZATIONS INVOLVING AN OFFENDER WITH A WEAPON, THOSE THAT INVOLVED OFFENDERS WITH A GUN WERE LEAST LIKELY TO RESULT IN INJURY TO A VICTIM, BUT THOSE THAT INVOLVED OFFENDERS WITH OTHER WEAPONS WERE MOST LIKELY TO RESULT IN INJURY. NOTES, REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. THE PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE 1978 MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY ON CRIMINOLOGY. (MJW)