U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Victims of crime

BJS FY 15 National Survey of Victim Service Organizations

Closing Date
Prior to the 1980s, crime control policy paid very little attention to victims of crime. This changed dramatically in the 1980s with the creation of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and other efforts to make victims whole and to take their suffering into account in criminal justice policy and practice. OVC funds a broad array of services for victims of crime, including compensation...

Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2013 - Statistical Tables

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY,  MAY 21, 2015                 Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

VIOLENT CRIME RATE IN 2013 AGAINST PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES WAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE AGE-ADJUSTED RATE FOR PERSONS WITHOUT DISABILITIES

WASHINGTON – In 2013, the rate of violent crime against persons with...

Violent Victimization in New and Established Hispanic Areas, 2007-2010

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014           Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 202-598-9320

HISPANICS IN NEW HISPANIC AREAS EXPERIENCED HIGHER RATES OF VIOLENT VICTIMIZATION THAN IN OTHER AREAS
            
Young Hispanics accounted for the higher rates of violent victimization in new Hispanic areas

WASHINGTON – From 2007 to 2010, Hispanics experienced higher...

Nonfatal Domestic Violence, 2003-2012

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014                  Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT A FIFTH OF ALL VIOLENT VICTIMIZATIONS BETWEEN 2003 AND 2012

WASHINGTON – Domestic violence accounted for 21 percent of all violent victimizations during the period from 2003 to 2012...

Jails in Indian Country, 2011

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012                          Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

2,239 INMATES IN INDIAN COUNTRY JAILS IN 2011, UP 5.7 PERCENT FROM 2010

WASHINGTON­ – At midyear 2011, a total of 2,239 inmates were confined in Indian country jails, a 5.7 percent increase from the 2,119 inmates confined at...

Victimizations Not Reported to the Police, 2006-2010

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012                          Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

NEARLY 3.4 MILLION VIOLENT CRIMES PER YEAR WENT UNREPORTED
TO POLICE FROM 2006 TO 2010

WASHINGTON – More than half of the nation’s violent crimes, or nearly 3.4 million violent victimizations per year, went unreported to the police between...

Criminal Victimization, 2011

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 9:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2012 Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-0556

VIOLENT CRIME RATE UP 17 PERCENT, PROPERTY CRIME RATE UP 11 PERCENT IN 2011 ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY

WASHINGTON – In 2011, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced an estimated 5.8 million violent victimizations and 17.1...

Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violent Crime, 1993-2009

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011             Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-0556

NINE PERCENT OF SERIOUS VIOLENT CRIME VICTIMS RECEIVED HELP OR ADVICE
FROM A VICTIM SERVICE AGENCY BETWEEN 1993 AND 2009


WASHINGTON – From 1993 to 2009, about nine percent of victims of serious violent crime―rape or other sexual assault...

Criminal Victimization, 2010

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011                             Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-0556

RATE OF VIOLENT VICTIMIZATION DECLINED 13 PERCENT IN 2010

WASHINGTON – During 2010, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced a double-digit drop (down 13 percent) in the rate of violent victimization, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)...

Female Victims of Sexual Violence, 1994-2010

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EST Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013                                     Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

OVER 60 PERCENT DECLINE IN SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST FEMALES
FROM 1995 TO 2010

WASHINGTON – From 1995 to 2005, sexual violence against U.S. female residents age 12 or older declined 64 percent from 5.0 per 1,000 females to 1.8...

Violent Crime Against Youth, 1994-2010

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10 A.M. EST Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012                                          Contact: Sheila Jerusalem (202) 307-0703
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 616-3227

SERIOUS VIOLENT CRIME AGAINST YOUTH DROPPED 77 PERCENT
FROM 1994 TO 2010

WASHINGTON – The overall rate of serious violent crime against youth ages 12 to 17 declined 77 percent from 1994 to 2010, falling from 61.9 victimizations...

Hate Crime Victimization, 2003-2011

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013                                     Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF HATE CRIMES WENT UNREPORTED TO POLICE IN RECENT YEARS

U.S. residents experienced about 259,700 hate crimes annually from 2007 to 2011

WASHINGTON –The percentage of hate crimes reported to the police declined from 46 percent from...

Criminal Victimization, 2012

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013 Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-0556

FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR VIOLENT AND PROPERTY CRIME RATES INCREASED IN 2012

Increases driven by simple assaults and crime not reported to police

WASHINGTON – Violent and property crime rates rose for U.S. residents in 2012, the Bureau of Justice...

Intimate Partner Violence: Attributes of Victimization, 1993-2011

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EST Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013                  Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-0556

SERIOUS INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AGAINST FEMALES DECLINED 72 PERCENT FROM 1994 TO 2011

Percentage involving physical attacks, weapons and injury showed little change

WASHINGTON – From 1994 to 2011, the rate of serious intimate partner violence, such as rape...

Measuring the Prevalence of Crime with the National Crime Victimization Survey

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013                        Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

NEW BJS REPORT ON CALCULATING THE PREVALENCE OF CRIME IN THE U.S.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report today on a new procedure for calculating the prevalence of crime in the U.S. each...

Hate Crime Victimization, 2004-2012 - Statistical Tables

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 A.M. EST Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014                          Contact: Kara McCarthy (202) 307-1241
HTTP://WWW.BJS.GOV/ After hours: (202) 598-9320

U.S. RESIDENTS EXPERIENCED ABOUT 293,800 HATE CRIME VICTIMIZATIONS
IN 2012 — UNCHANGED FROM 2004

WASHINGTON – In 2012, an estimated 293,800 nonfatal violent and property hate crime victimizations occurred in...

Hate crime victimization

Refers to a single victim or household that experienced a criminal incident believed by the victim to be motivated by prejudice based on race, gender or gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Hate Crime Statistics Program are the principal sources of annual information on hate crime in the United States and use the definition of hate crime provided in the Hate Crime Statistics Act (28 U.S.C. § 534).