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Violent Victimization and Race, 1993-98

NCJ Number
176354
Author(s)
Callie Rennison Ph.D.
Editor(s)
Tom Hester, Ellen Goldberg
Date Published
March 2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This report presents incidence estimates and per capita rates of violent victimization of whites, blacks, American Indians and Asians in 1998, and includes victimization trends for 1993-98.
Abstract

Presents incidence estimates and per capita rates of violent victimization of whites, blacks, American Indians and Asians in 1998, and includes victimization trends, 1993-98. Violent crimes included are rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault (from the National Crime Victimization Survey), and homicide (from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program). Additional findings provided include 1993-98 victimization rates by victim characteristics (household income, age, marital status, residence, and gender), crime characteristics (time and location, presence of weapons, injuries and medical treatment), offender relationship and victim-offender race, by victim's race. An additional section is devoted to the presentation of intimate partner violence findings.

  • The rate of violent victimization of whites fell 29% and of blacks fell 38%, 1993-98. Over the same period, no measurable change in the victimization rates of American Indians or Asians occurred.
  • In each year from 1993-98, black persons were victimized at rates significantly greater than those of whites. By 1998 black and white persons were victims of overall violent crimes at similar rates.
  • In 1998, 110 American Indians, 43 blacks, 38 whites and 22 Asians were victims of violence per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in each racial group.
  • Blacks were disproportionately represented among homicide victims. In 1998, 4 whites, 23 blacks, and 3 persons of other races were murdered per 100,000 persons in each racial group.