NCJ Number
97925
Date Published
Unknown
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This summary reports on a victimization survey conducted among 1,200 farm operators in Ohio to determine the nature and extent of agricultural crime.
Abstract
Personal interviews were conducted during the first 6 months of 1983 among full-time commercial farm operators from 30 of Ohio's 88 counties. Victimization incidents were divided into three types: household-related property crime, property crimes specific to the operation of the farm, and personal-level incidents. Vandalism was the most frequently occurring type of incident, and nearly all the incidents were against farm property. The average cost of an incident of vandalism was $147. The second most frequently occurring crime type was larceny, mainly the theft of farm property and the theft of parts attached to family vehicles. The average cost of the larceny amounted to $149. The third most frequently occurring type of victimization was fraud; the most characteristic variety was the receipt of bad checks, which cost the farmer an average of $193. A second type of fraud, which involved the purchase of defective farm inputs, cost the farmer an average of $616. Burglary to farm buildings and rural homesteads represented the fourth leading type of victimization. The average cost of the burglary of a farm building was $254; of a home burglary, $1,065. Personal-level incidents of victimization were relatively infrequent, and their average cost was $5. The report concluded that farms are likely targets for criminal victimization. Two references and one table are included.