NCJ Number
192025
Journal
Criminal Justice Research Reports Volume: 2 Issue: 6 Dated: July/August 2001 Pages: 82-84
Editor(s)
Henry G. Sontheimer Ph.D.
Date Published
2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This paper examines trends in crime and victimization during the 1990's in the United States.
Abstract
According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the level of crime victimization in the United States reached record lows in 1999. The rate of violent crime victimization declined by 34 percent from 1993 to 1999, including a 10-percent decline from 1998 to 1999. The rate of property crime victimizations fell by 38 percent from 1993 to 1999, and by 9 percent from 1998 to 1999. The rate of robbery victimizations reached an all-time low in 1999, with four victimizations per person among the U.S. population age 12 and above. The decline in violent crime victimization from 1998 to 1999 was greater for males than for females, for whites than for members of other races, and for non-Hispanic than for Hispanic individuals. In 1999 the highest violent crime victimization rates were experienced by persons age 12 to 15, and 20 to 24. The majority of victims knew the offender, and less than half of all victimizations were reported to the police. In addition to declines reported by victimization surveys, official reports of crimes reported to and known by the police also declined during the 1990's. The official homicide rate was down almost 40 percent for the decade. Preliminary figures for 2000 suggest that crime rates are leveling off. The reasons most often cited by criminologists for the decline in crime are an "incapacitation effect" derived from record high incarceration rates; a sustained period of economic prosperity that has improved legitimate opportunities for individuals who might otherwise turn to crime; and new approaches to policing, including community policing, zero tolerance policies, and a focus on reducing access to firearms. This paper critiques these claims, showing that incarceration rates are not related to crime declines, that economic prosperity may explain some of the decline in crime, and that several new policing approaches have been associated with crime reductions. Future trends are examined. 4 references