Victim and Household Characteristics: Reporting Violence to the Police. Illinois Crime Victimization Survey 2002 Data Analysis

• NCJ Number: 222495
• Author(s): Dr. Callie Rennison
• Date Published: August 2007
• Length: 32 pages
• Grant Number(s): 03-DB-BX-0037
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded April 29, 2008

Annotation

This report investigated whether any group of individuals in Illinois would be less likely to report violent victimization to the police; binary logistic regression models were used to examine the influence of individual and household characteristics on the likelihood of police reporting.

Abstract

Key findings regarding significant individual and household characteristics include: (1) violent crimes against non-Hispanic African-Americans were less likely to be reported to the police compared to the same violence against non-Hispanic Whites; (2) violence sustained by unemployed individuals was less likely to be reported to the police compared to the similar violence experienced by fulltime workers; (3) violent victimizations perpetrated against individuals employed on a part-time basis were less likely to be reported to the police compared to similar violence against fulltime workers; and (4) violence against people who had lived at their current residence for less than 1 year was less likely to be reported to the police compared to victims who had lived in their homes for more than 1 year. Additional findings reported, however, unrelated to the primary purpose of study reflected older offenders, weapon presence, and injured victim. The findings show differential reporting among groups of victims suggesting that some groups are not accessing the benefits offered by the criminal justice system. One of the most important decisions following violence is whether to report the violent incident to the police. Previous research is nonexistent on examining the influence of victim and household characteristics on reporting violence in the State of Illinois. By identifying individuals who are less likely to contact the police, more effective outreach policies may be designed. This analysis, conducted using the 2002 Illinois Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS), investigated whether particular groups of victims were less likely to contact the police following a violent victimization. It examined the influence of individual and household characteristics on the likelihood of reporting violence to the police while controlling for relevant correlates. References and appendixes A-C