Definitions for frequently used words and an overview of victimization are presented. Violent crime victimization decreased each year from 1997 through 2000; despite this downward trend, victims of violent crimes in South Carolina have more than doubled from 101.8 victims per 10,000 people in 1977 to 265.3 victims per 10,000 people in 2000. The murder victimization rate, however, declined from 1.18 victims per 10,000 in 1977 to 0.74 victims per 10,000 in 2000. A breakdown of the violent crime rate per county is presented. Victims of violent crime usually knew their offender; strangers accounted for only 20.6 percent of murders. The average age of violent crime victims was 28.8 years. Male victims suffered the majority of murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults, while female victims suffered the majority of rapes and simple assaults. Casual acquaintances were involved in 88.3 percent of the violent crimes in which no familial relationship existed. Marital violence accounted for 15.8 percent of violent victimization, while family violence accounted for another 11.2 percent of violent victimization. The majority of murders involved the use of firearms. Personal weapons were used most frequently in the commission of robberies and rapes. Weapons used in aggravated assaults included blunt objects, knives, firearms, and personal weapons. Alcohol use played an important role in violent crimes; more than one quarter of murder offenders were suspected of using alcohol shortly before the offense. Robbery was the offense most associated with murder, followed by burglary and rape. Rates of victimization from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) are also offered, but direct comparison of the crime rates reported by South Carolina police and the NCVS cannot be made because of the divergent information collected for each survey. The second half of the report focuses on historical information about the evolution of victim rights in South Carolina and highlights some of the services provided to victims, but does not present a comprehensive listing of victim services or providers. After a review of the laws that provide rights and services to crime victims, narratives of some of the programs and services provided to crime victims in South Carolina are presented. Tables