Offenses

U.S. Department of Justice
 
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST
BJS SUNDAY, MAY 15,
1994                                202-307-0784
 
RECORD NUMBER OF HANDGUN CRIMES--NEARS ONE MILLION A YEAR
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The number of non-fatal crimes committed
with a handgun rose to a record level during 1992, the
Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
announced today. Handguns were used in an estimated 917,500
non-fatal crimes...

CRIME RATE ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED LAST YEAR


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST                            
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1994                            

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
(202) 307-0784


CRIME RATE ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED LAST YEAR

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The number of Americans who were the victims of
crime remained essentially unchanged last year, according to a 
redesigned annual survey the Department of Justice published today.  
The new...

Survey of Inmate Characteristics

 
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 1990                         BJS                           

202-307-0784
 
     An estimated 16 percent of prison inmates were armed with
a gun when they committed the offense for which they were
serving time, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced
today.  About half of the armed inmates (or about 8 percent of
all prisoners) said they had fired...

CRIMES AFFECTING U.S. HOUSEHOLDS REACH NEW LOW

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1993
 
CRIMES AFFECTING U.S. HOUSEHOLDS REACH NEW LOW
 
     A smaller percentage of U.S. Households were 
victimized by violent crime or thefts last year 
than in any year since the Justice Department's 
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) started counted 
in 1975...

Comparing Federal and State Prisoners

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST                           
BJS  SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1994                            
202-307-0784

            COMPARING FEDERAL AND STATE PRISONERS

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most federal prisoners are drug
offenders, but almost half of state prisoners are serving
time for violent crimes.  Offenders in federal prisons are
almost three times as likely as state prisoners to be
incarcerated for a drug offense, according...

CONCERN ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME DOUBLES AMONG BLACK HOUSEHOLDS

U.S. Department of Justice

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST BJS
SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 1994 202-307-0784

CONCERN ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME DOUBLES
AMONG BLACK HOUSEHOLDS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Concern about neighborhood crime has
increased twice as rapidly among black households as among white
households, according to a new analysis by the Bureau of Justice 
Statistics (BJS). 
 
BJS...

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT                  
BJS  WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1995                      
202-307-0784

YOUNGEST TEENS AT GREATEST CRIME RISK

WASHINGTON, D.C.  During 1993, the youngest age
group surveyed--those 12 through 15 years old--had
the greatest risk of being violent crime victims,
the Department of Justice announced today.  The
risk decreased steadily with age, from 1 in 8
young people 12-15 years old...

Handguns Used in More Than One Million Violent Crimes, The Use of Semi-Automatic Guns In Murders Is Increasing

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT                             BJS 
SUNDAY, JULY 9, 1995                                 202-307-0784

HANDGUNS USED IN MORE THAN ONE MILLION VIOLENT
CRIMES

THE USE OF SEMI-AUTOMATIC GUNS IN MURDERS IS
INCREASING
                                
     WASHINGTON, D.C.--About 1.3 million U.S. residents faced an
assailant armed with a...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 
BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

Women Usually Victimized by Offenders They Know

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT      BJS 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1995    202/307-0784

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Women were attacked about six
times more often by offenders with whom they had
an intimate relationship than were male violence
victims during 1992 and 1993, the Department of
Justice announced today. 

During each...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE    

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT     BJS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1996        202/307-0784

CRIME VICTIMIZATION DROPS THREE PERCENT 
FROM 1993 TO 1994

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Total violent and
property crime victimizations fell almost 3
percent from 1993 to 1994, the Justice Department
reported today.   Violent crime rates leveled off
during that period, after falling 20 percent
between 1981 and 1986 and...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT         BJS
THURSDAY APRIL 11, 1996          202/307-0784

ONE-QUARTER OF THE CRIME VICTIMS WHO ARE SHOT
ARE YOUNG BLACK MALES

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A federal study of non-
fatal firearm injuries from crime shows that
almost 90 percent of such victims were male, 59
percent were black and 49 percent were from 15 to
24 years...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST           BJS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1995          202/307-0784

 23 PERCENT OF THOSE ARRESTED FOR WEAPONS OFFENSES
           ARE YOUNGER THAN 18 YEARS OLD

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Almost a quarter of those
arrested for weapons offenses are minors, the
Department of Justice said today.  In a study of
people arrested for weapons offenses during 1993,
23 percent were...

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT                          BJS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1996                          202/633-3047



     VICTIMS REPORT 9 PERCENT FEWER VIOLENT CRIMES LAST YEAR


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Violent crimes fell more than 9 percent
last year, the Department of Justice announced today.  According
to preliminary estimates by the Department's Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS), there were an estimated 9.9 million violent
crimes during 1995, compared to about...

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT                             BJS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1994                               202/307-0784

       MORE PROSECUTIONS AND TOUGHER SENTENCING GUIDELINES
         PROMPT INCREASED INCARCERATIONS OF NON-CITIZENS

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An increase in the number of
prosecutions and convictions for federal drug and immigration
offenses, as well as changes in mandatory time-served provisions,
prompted a four-fold increase in the number of non-citizens
incarcerated in federal prisons between 1984...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT           BJS
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 1997                202/633-3047

  VIOLENT CRIME DECLINED 12.4 PERCENT DURING 1995
           Largest Drop in Survey History

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Between 1994 and 1995
violent crime--rape, robbery and assault--dropped
12.4 percent, the Justice Department's Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS) said today.  The decline
was the largest since BJS' National Crime
Victimization Survey began...

U.S. Department of Justice

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT               BJS
SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 1998                     202/307-0784

FOUR IN TEN CRIMINAL OFFENDERS REPORT ALCOHOL
AS A FACTOR IN VIOLENCE

But Alcohol-Related Deaths and Consumption in Decline                  

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Although alcohol consumption
and alcohol-related deaths are in decline, alcohol
abuse is still linked to a large percentage of criminal
offenses, the Justice Department's Bureau of...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 9 A.M., EST                            BJS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1997                          202/307-0784

VIOLENT VICTIMIZATIONS FELL 10 PERCENT LAST YEAR
Property Crimes Declined 8 Percent

     WASHINGTON -- The nation's violent crime rate
fell 10 percent last year and was 16 percent lower
than in 1993, the Department's Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS) announced today.  Property crime was
down more than 8...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST        BJS
SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 1998             202/307-0784
         
ALMOST HALF OF ALL PROBATIONERS UNDER THE
INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS
WHEN COMMITTING THEIR OFFENSE

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Almost half of the men
and women on probation in the United States were
under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs at
the time of their criminal offense...

Crime in the United States and in England 
and Wales, 1981-96: Press release

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M.EDT          BJS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1998             202/307-0784
         
NEW REPORT COMPARES CRIME RATES IN THE UNITED
STATES WITH RATES IN ENGLAND AND WALES

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Robbery, assault,
burglary and motor vehicle theft rates are lower
in the United States than they are in...