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Teenage Victims: A National Crime Survey Report

NCJ Number
128129
Date Published
May 1991
Annotation
This report presents information from the National Crime Survey (NCS) collected between 1985 and 1988 on teenage victims of violent crimes and theft. The violent crimes measured by the survey include rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.
Abstract

The survey results indicated that teenagers were twice as likely as adults to experience crimes of theft and even more likely to be victims of violent crimes. Older teenagers had higher victimization rates than younger adolescents; teenage males and teenagers living in urban areas were also at higher risk of victimization. Black adolescents were three to five times more likely than white teens to be murder victims and also more likely to be victims of robbery or aggravated assault. Violent crimes against teenagers were more likely than crimes against adults to be committed by offenders of similar age, sex, and race. Crimes of violence committed against younger teenagers were much less likely to be reported to police than crimes against adults. About half of violent crimes against teenagers occurred in school buildings, on school property, or on the street; street crimes were three times more likely than school crimes to involve a weapon. 22 tables and 1 appendix

Date Published: May 1, 1991