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Impact of Property
Crime
It is unfortunate that property crime, particularly
when it happens to juveniles, is
so frequently considered relatively inconsequential.
Although NCVS itself contains
little information to test this assumption,
other non-NCVS crime impact studies call
it into question (Kilpatrick et al., 1987;
Maguire, 1980; Skogan, 1986). Property
crime victims are not necessarily as traumatized
as violent crime victims, but research
has found them to have elevated
fear, depression, hostility, and somatic
symptoms that persist over an extended
time (Norris and Kaniasty, 1994). Victims
of multiple property crimes are particularly
vulnerable to pronounced psychological
effects. Although no research has specifically
measured the impact of property
crimes on children and youth, nothing in
the available literature on property crime
or crime in general suggests that youth are
immune to the effects of these crimes. The
high rate of property crime victimization
among youth and the possibility that early
encounters with issues of justice and victimization
may be particularly influential
on a youth’s development should mobilize
more interest in the effects of property
crime on this segment of the population.
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| Juvenile Victims of
Property Crimes |
Juvenile
Justice Bulletin • December 2000 |
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