Criminal Victimization, 1999: Changes 1998-99 with Trends 1993-99

• NCJ Number: 182734
• Author(s): Callie Marie Rennison, Ph.D., Bureau of Justice Statistics
• Date Published: August 2000
• Publication Series: Criminal Victimization
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication

Annotation

This report presents 1999 criminal victimization levels and rates from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).

Abstract

This report presents 1999 criminal victimization levels and rates from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Other findings included are victim characteristics, victim-offender relationship, use of weapons, and trends in victimization rates from 1993 to 1999. The NCVS is an ongoing survey of households that each year interviews about 80,000 persons in 43,000 households. Violent crimes included in the report are rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault (from the NCVS), and homicide (from the FBI's UCR program). Property crimes include burglaries, motor vehicle thefts, and thefts of other property.

Highlights

• According to National Crime Victimization Survey data, from 1998 to 1999 the overall violent crime rate declined 10% and the property crime rate fell 9%.
• Victimization rates in 1999 are the lowest recorded since the survey's creation in 1973.
• The decline in overall violent crime rate resulted from a decrease in the simple assault rate. Apparent declines in robbery and aggravated assault rates were not significant.