NCJ Number
153896
Journal
Juristat Volume: 15 Issue: 6 Dated: (March 1995) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1995
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This report presents data on victims' use of police and social services in 10 provinces in Canada, based on the 1993 General Social Survey on Personal Risk and the 1993 Violence Against Women Survey.
Abstract
Results revealed that 28 percent of violent victimizations (physical assault, sexual assault, or robbery) experienced by Canadians ages 15 and over during the 12 months prior to the General Social Survey were reported to the police. Thirty-one percent of the violent incidents involving male victims and 25 percent of those involving female victims were reported to police. Of the violent incidents not reported to the police, 34 percent were not reported because the matter was handled without the need for police intervention. In 18 percent of unreported incidents, the victims stated that they did not believe that the incident was important enough to contact the police. Twenty-seven percent of the males and 12 percent of the females gave this reason. Victims were satisfied with how the police responded to their reported in 64 percent of the cases; male victims were more likely to report satisfaction than were female victims. Regardless of whether or not they reported the incident to the police, victims of 27 percent of the violent incidents looked to informal or formal sources of help. Of these, 34 percent looked to friends, 23 percent to family, 21 percent to a helping or victim agency, and the remainder to clergy and others such as coworkers and neighbors. Tables and 8 references