Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2003

NATION'S SCHOOL CRIME RATE DECLINING

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Reflecting the national decline in crime rates, crime against public and private school students has also dropped, according to a new report by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The report draws on data from a number of federally-sponsored programs to inform the nation on crime and safety in schools.

Between 1992 and 2001, the violent crime victimization rate at the nation's schools declined from 48 violent victimizations per 1,000 students to 28, and between 1995 and 2001, the percentage of students who reported being a victim of crime of violence or theft at school decreased from 10 percent to 6 percent.

The report is the sixth in a series of annual reports from the Justice Department and the Department of Education and is organized as a series of indicators, with each indicator presenting data on a different aspect of school crime and safety. In some cases time periods reflected in the indicators may vary since the report contains the most recent crime and safety data available from a number of separate federally-funded studies. This year's report repeats many indicators from the 2002 report, but also provides updated data on fatal and nonfatal student victimization, nonfatal teacher victimization, the percentage of schools reporting crimes to the police, discipline problems at public schools, and disciplinary actions taken by public school principals.

The report, "Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2003" (NCJ 201257), was written by BJS statistician Michael R. Rand and staff members of the National Center for Education Statistics. This document can be accessed at:

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=989

For additional information about Bureau of Justice Statistics statistical reports programs, please visit the BJS website at:

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises 5 component bureaus and 2 offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Executive Office for Weed and Seed, and the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education. Information about OJP programs, publications, and conferences is available on the OJP Web site, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Media Contact at NCES: Thomas Snyder at (202) 502-7452 or [email protected]

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