NCJ Number
182142
Date Published
April 1998
Length
87 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of the 1997 Iowa Adult Crime Victimization Survey, which was conducted to provide detailed information on crime victimization in Iowa.
Abstract
A random-digit-dialing procedure was used to reach Iowa residents, age 18 and older. The adult respondents were asked about personal crimes they had experienced and property crimes that were committed against their household. A total of 2,036 respondents across Iowa were interviewed. Findings indicate that per every 1,000 households, there were 409 incidents of property crime committed against 202 persons; and for every 1,000 adults there were 239 incidents of personal crime committed against 102 persons. When projected to the State's adult population, these numbers estimate that there were more than 215,000 victims of property crime and more than 209,000 victims of personal crime in the past 12 months. This led to an estimate that 28 percent of adult Iowans were the victim of a crime in the preceding 12 months. Less than half of the victims in the survey reported any victimization to the police, and most victims have not used victim assistance services. Questions pertinent to respondents' views on sentencing found that the predominant view is that prison terms are not necessarily the only, or even the most appropriate, sentence in many instances. Extensive tables and figures and a 17-item bibliography