U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report Black Victims of Violent Crime August 2007, NCJ 214258 --------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.csv) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/bvvc.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- by Erika Harrell, Ph.D. BJS Statistician Blacks were victims of an estimated 805,000 nonfatal violent crimes and of about 8,000 homicides in 2005. While blacks accounted for 13% of the U.S. population in 2005, they were victims in 15% of all nonfatal violent crimes and nearly half of all homicides. These findings are based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR), Supplementary Homicide Reports. Among blacks the risk of nonfatal violent victimization varied across demographic characteristics. During the 5-year period from 2001 to 2005, comparative nonfatal violent victimizations showed * Black males were more vulnerable to violent victimization than black females. * Younger blacks were generally more likely than older blacks to be victims of violence. * Blacks who had never married were more likely than all other blacks to be victims of violence. * Blacks in households with lower annual incomes were at a greater risk of violence than those in households with higher annual incomes. * Blacks living in urban areas were more likely than those in suburban or rural areas to be victims of violence. Black victims of homicide were most likely to be male (85%) and between ages 17 and 29 (51%). Homicides against blacks were more likely than those against whites to occur in highly populated areas, including cities and suburbs. About 53% of homicides against blacks in 2005 took place in areas with populations of at least 250,000 people, compared to about 33% of homicides of white victims. Blacks were killed with a firearm in about 77% of homicides against them. Overall, the rates of nonfatal violent victimization against blacks were stable between 2001 and 2005, after declining about 57% from 1993 to 2001. During the 5-year period from 2001 to 2005, the average annual rate of nonfatal violent victimization against blacks was 29 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. For whites the rate was 23 per 1,000, and for Hispanics, 24 per 1,000. Among all groups examined, only American Indians (57 per 1,000) had a higher average annual rate of nonfatal violent victimization than blacks. Between 2001 and 2005, about half of all nonfatal violence against blacks was characterized as a serious violent crime, which includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault and excludes simple assault. Robbery accounted for about 15% of violent crimes against blacks, a higher percentage than for whites (9%), but similar to that for Hispanics (15%). Aggravated assault made up more than a quarter of violence against black victims, compared to 18% of violence against white victims. Of nonfatal violent crimes against blacks, nearly 14% involved an offender armed with a firearm and about a third resulted in an injury to the victim. About half of all nonfatal violent crimes against blacks were reported to police. Violent victimization rates for blacks declined from 1993 to 2001 but were stable from 2001 to 2005 The overall rate of nonfatal violent victimization against blacks declined by nearly 57% between 1993 and 2001. The rate for the overall population declined 54% during the period. Except for persons age 50 or older, the violent victimization rates declined for all subgroups of the black population that were examined. The decline for black males (61%) was somewhat greater than for black females (53%). By location of residence, from 1993 to 2001 the decline in the rates of violent victimization for blacks in urban areas was smaller than for blacks in rural areas and slightly larger than for those in suburban areas. Between 2001 and 2005, the rate of nonfatal violent crimes against blacks did not change significantly despite apparent fluctuations for some subgroups. For the overall population the rate was stable. During this period, there were no significant changes in the rates of violent victimization by gender, age, or location of residence. In 2005 black males were somewhat more vulnerable to violent crimes than black females. Blacks age 24 and under had higher rates of violent victimization than blacks age 25 or older. Blacks living in urban areas had the highest rates of violent victimization in 2005, and those in rural areas had the lowest rates. --------------------------------------- The National Crime Victimization Survey The NCVS is the Nation's primary source of information on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization. One of the largest continuous household surveys conducted by the Federal Government, the NCVS collects information about crimes both reported and not reported to police. The survey provides the largest national forum for victims to describe their experiences of victimization, the impact of crime, and the characteristics of violent offenders. For current overall estimates of criminal victimization in the United States, see Criminal Victimization, 2005, at . Other findings from the NCVS are also on the BJS website. --------------------------------------- In 2005 nearly half of all homicide victims were black Blacks accounted for 49% of all homicide victims in 2005, according to the FBI's UCR.***For overall estimates of homicides, see Homicide Trends in the United States .*** Black males accounted for about 52% (or 6,800) of the nearly 13,000 male homicide victims in 2005. Black females made up 35% (or 1,200) of the nearly 3,500 female homicide victims. The number of black males murdered increased between 2004 and 2005, while the number of black females murdered remained the same. A higher percentage of black homicide victims (36%) than white victims (26%)were ages 13 to 24. About half (51%) of black homicide victims were ages 17 to 29, compared to about 37% of white victims. Homicides against blacks were more likely than those against whites to occur in highly populated areas, including cities and suburbs. About half (53%) of black homicides in 2005 took place in areas with populations of at least 250,000 people. A third (33%) of white homicides occurred in places with that size population. In 2005 most homicides involving one victim and one offender were intraracial. About 93% of black homicide victims and 85% of white victims in single victim and single offender homicides were murdered by someone of their race. Women were the offenders in about 10% of single victim and single offender homicides of both blacks and whites. Intimate partners (current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends, including same-sex relationships) were responsible for relatively fewer homicides among blacks (6%) than among whites (12%) in 2005. Gang violence accounted for about 5% of black homicides and about 7% of white homicides. Blacks were killed with firearms in about 77% of homicides against them in 2005, compared to 60% of white homicide victims. Violent crime rates between 2001 and 2005 were higher for blacks than for whites, Hispanics, and Asians Between 2001 and 2005 blacks had higher rates of violent victimization than whites, Hispanics, and Asians. American Indians were the only group that had rates higher than blacks. Blacks were more likely to experience an aggravated assault than whites or Hispanics Between 2001 and 2005 the average annual rate of aggravated assault for blacks (8 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older) was nearly twice that of whites (4 per 1,000) and slightly higher than that of Hispanics (5 per 1,000). While blacks were more likely than whites to experience aggravated assault, blacks and whites were equally likely to experience a simple assault during the 5-year period. Blacks were at a greater risk of rape or sexual assault than any other racial/ethnic group except American Indians. Serious violent crime made up nearly half of nonfatal violent crimes against blacks between 2001 and 2005 Serious violent victimization consists of rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. It usually involves serious injury to the victim or an offender armed with a weapon. These offenses comprised about 48% of the violent crimes against blacks between 2001 and 2005, a percentage higher than that for whites, American Indians and Hispanics but similar to that of Asians. Among blacks, males and those in urban areas were the most vulnerable to robbery victimization Between 2001 and 2005, blacks were victims of an average of about 121,000 robberies per year, representing an average annual robbery victimization rate of about 4 per 1,000 blacks age 12 or older. This was higher than the rate for whites and similar to that for Hispanics. Between 2001 and 2005, robberies made up about 15% of all violent crime against blacks, a percentage higher than that for whites and similar to that for Hispanics. Between 2001 and 2005, blacks ages 12 to 19 made up about 37% of all black robbery victims, a percentage similar to that for Hispanics. Males made up the majority of robbery victims among blacks, whites and Hispanics. About a third of black robbery victims lived in households with annual incomes of less than $15,000. Black robbery victims were less likely than white victims and as likely as Hispanic robbery victims to live in households with annual incomes of at least $50,000. Black robbery victims (65%) were more likely than white robbery victims (41%) to live in urban areas. About 40% of black robbery victims faced an offender armed with a firearm. They were more likely than white and Hispanic robbery victims to face an offender with a firearm. Blacks were as likely as Hispanics and whites to be injured during a robbery. The rate of robbery victimization for blacks decreased from about 13 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 1993 to about 4 per 1,000 in 2001. There was no difference between the 2001 and 2005 rates of robbery for blacks. Most nonfatal violence against blacks was intraracial; victim/offender relationship varied by victim gender About four-fifths of black victims of nonfatal violence perceived the offenders to be black. About 12% of black victims perceived the offender to be white, while about 8% thought the offender was neither black nor white (categorized as other races on table 5). Blacks (78%) were more likely to be victims of intraracial violence than whites (70%). Black males were more likely to be violently victimized by strangers than black females. Black female victims of violent crime were more likely than black male victims to be victimized by an intimate partner. Intimate partner violence accounted for 21% of violent victimizations against black females, compared to about 5% of victimizations against black males. The gender disparity for intimate partner violence among blacks was similar to that for other victims. Rate of nonfatal gang violence against blacks was about 3 per 1,000 between 2001 and 2005 The rate of violent crimes against blacks that were committed by offenders who were perceived to be gang members was higher than that for whites and Asians but similar to that for Hispanics and American Indians. Between 2001 and 2005 blacks perceived the offender to be a member of a street gang in about 9% of violent crimes against them. In 43% of violence against blacks, the victim did not know if the offender was a gang member. A quarter of violence against blacks was committed by offenders under the influence of alcohol or drugs Black victims were less likely than white victims, somewhat less likely than American Indian victims, and as likely as Asian and Hispanic victims to face an offender under the influence of alcohol or drugs. About 25% of nonfatal violence against blacks involved an offender perceived to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The victim did not know if the offender was under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 48% of violence against blacks (not shown on table). About 1 in 7 black victims of nonfatal violence were confronted by an offender with a firearm Between 2001 and 2005, about 35% of all violent crime against blacks involved offenders with a weapon. Weapons included firearms, knives, and other objects used as a weapon. Black victims were more likely than whites, American Indians, and Hispanics to face an offender with a weapon. They were somewhat more likely than Asians to face an offender with a weapon. Black victims were as likely as Asian victims and more likely than victims of other racial or ethnic groups to face an offender with a firearm. Black victims faced an offender armed with firearms in about 14% of nonfatal violence against them. About a third of black victims of nonfatal violence were injured during the crime Black victims sustained an injury in about 31% of all nonfatal violent crime between 2001 and 2005. About 54% of injured black victims of violence did not receive treatment for their injuries. About a quarter of injured black victims were treated as outpatients in a hospital or hospital emergency department. Injured black victims of serious violent crime (52%) were more likely to be treated than those injured in a simple assault (37%). Simple assault usually involves less serious injuries than serious violent crime. Use of a weapon in nonfatal serious violence against blacks did not change between 1993 and 2005 In 2005 about 72% of serious violent crime against blacks involved an offender armed with a weapon. This percentage was equivalent to that for whites and Hispanics. A similar pattern was found in 1993. Among black victims, in 2005 about 40% of serious violent crime involved injury to the victim. There was no difference in the percentages between blacks, Hispanics, and whites. Despite some fluctuations, the percent of serious violent crime in which the victim sustained an injury did not substantially change between 1993 and 2005. A similar pattern was found among Hispanics, while whites had a slight increase in the percent injured. About half of all nonfatal violence against blacks was reported to police between 2001 and 2005 Between 2001 and 2005, about 55% of all violent crimes committed against blacks were reported to police. Violence against black victims was more likely than violence against white victims and as likely as violence against victims of other racial/ethnic groups to be reported to police. Among black victims, robbery (62%) and aggravated assault (67%) were the violent crimes most likely to be reported. Violence against blacks that was reported to police varied by victim's gender and age. Violence against black females was more likely than violence against black males (63% compared to 47%) to be reported to police. Violent crime against the oldest blacks was more likely to be reported than violent crime against the youngest. About 73% of violence against blacks age 65 or older were reported to police, compared to about a third of violent crime against black victims ages 12 to 15. Police responded quickly to the majority of reported nonfatal violence against blacks According to black victims, police responded within an hour in about 91% of reported violent victimizations. Police response to nonfatal violence against blacks was similar to that for whites and Hispanics. Black victims of violence were slightly more likely than Hispanics to use services of nonpolice victim agencies In about 9% of violent crimes against blacks, the victim sought help from nonpolice agencies that provided services to victims of crime. Black victims of rape or sexual assault were as likely as victims of other types of violent crime to seek assistance from such agencies. Overall, blacks were as likely as whites, but slightly more likely than Hispanics to seek help from nonpolice victim agencies. The percentage of black victims of nonfatal violent crime who contacted a nonpolice agency for help fluctuated between 1993 and 2005. It reached 11% in 2005 which was similar to the percentage in 1998 and 2003. Methodology Data sources This report presents data on rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault against non-Hispanic blacks age 12 or older as measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The NCVS gathers data on crimes against persons age 12 or older, reported and not reported to the police, from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. The NCVS provides information about victims (age, gender, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, income, and educational level), offenders (gender, race, approximate age, and victim-offender relationship) and the nature of the crime (time and place of occurrence, use of weapons, nature of injury, and economic consequences). Homicide data are from the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Between 1993 and 2005, about 2 million individuals age 12 or older were interviewed for the NCVS. For the overall population, for the years measured, response rates varied between 84% and 93% of eligible individuals. In 2005 about 134,000 persons were interviewed for the NCVS, of which about 14,000 were non-Hispanic blacks. Classification by race and Hispanic origin Because the racial categories were changed in 2003, caution is warranted when examining race over time. Since 2003, two questions on the NCVS are asked to obtain information on the respondent's race and Hispanic origin: (1) whether they are of Hispanic origin and (2) which race or races they identify with. Respondents may chose white, black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and Other. Respondents who select Other are asked to specify their race. More than one race may be selected. Prior to 2003, respondents were first asked to identify the racial group they identified with, including white, black, American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo, Asian/Pacific Islander, or Other. Respondents who selected Other were not able to specify a race. They were also not able to select more than one racial group. After the question on race, respondents were asked if they were of Hispanic origin. When nonfatal violence was discussed in this report, black and black/African American refer to non-Hispanic persons who chose the black category prior to 2003 and the black/African American category thereafter. Whites are non-Hispanic persons who selected the white category. Hispanic and Hispanic/Latino categories refer to persons of any race. American Indians and American Indian/Alaska Natives are non-Hispanic persons who selected the American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo category prior to 2003 or the American Indian/Alaska Native category since 2003. Asians refer to non-Hispanics persons who chose the Asian/Pacific Islander category prior to 2003 or the Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander category since 2003. In this report, for homicide data from the Supplementary Homicide Reports, black and white race categories include both Hispanic and non-Hispanic persons. Standard error computations Comparisons of percentages and rates made in this report were tested to determine if observed differences were statistically significant. Differences described as higher, lower, or different passed a hypothesis test at the .05 level of statistical significance(95% confidence level). The tested difference was greater than twice the standard error of that difference. For comparisons that were statistically significant at the 0.10 level (90% confidence level), "somewhat," "slightly," or marginally" is used to note the nature of the difference. Significance testing calculations were conducted at the Bureau of Justice Statistics using statistical programs developed specifically for the NCVS by the U.S. Census Bureau. These programs take into consideration many aspects of the complex NCVS sample design when calculating estimates. Estimates based on 10 or fewer sample cases have high relative standard errors. Care should be taken when comparing such estimates to other estimates when both are based on 10 or fewer sample cases. --------------------------------------------------- The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Jeffrey L. Sedgwick is director. Erika Harrell, Ph.D., wrote this report, under the supervision of Michael R. Rand. Wendy Lin-Kelly, Cathy Maston and Patsy Klaus verified the report. Tina Dorsey and Carolyn C. Williams produced and edited the report, and Jayne Robinson prepared the report for final printing, under the supervision of Doris J. James. August 2007, NCJ 214258 ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- This report in portable document format and in ASCII and its related statistical data and tables are available at the BJS World Wide Web Internet site: . ---------------------------------------------------- End of file 08/08/07 ih